President makes last-ditch appeal on health-care overhaul
Trump makes most robust pitch for proposed legislation that would repeal Obamacare
WASHINGTON— U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday made a late-hour appeal to senators — targeting members of his own party — to move forward with debate over faltering Republican legislation to overhaul the Affordable Care Act.
“Any senator who votes against starting debate is telling America that you are fine with the Obamacare nightmare, which is what it is,” Trump said in an afternoon address from the White House on the eve of an anticipated Senate vote that could spell defeat of the long-sought legislation.
As of Monday, GOP leaders in the Senate were still scrambling to round up enough Republican votes to move forward with debate of the bill. The outcome remained in doubt, largely because senators have not even been told which of the various GOP plans will be considered.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has kept the process highly secretive as he tries to find a path forward amid stark opposition within his Republican majority, and no backing from Democrats. He has only two Republican votes to spare. Many GOP senators are reluctant to begin formal debate on the Affordable Care Act without knowing where the process will end.
Sen. John McCain said Monday he would be present to vote. McCain announced last week that he has brain cancer.
Trump implored fellow Republicans to make good on a promise to repeal the ACA, widely known as Obamacare, that has been a staple of their rhetoric for seven years.
“For Senate Republicans, this is their chance to keep their promise,” Trump said.
The address, from the Blue Room of the White House, amounted to Trump’s most robust pitch for the legislation to date. Even some in his own party have expressed frustration with what they view as a lacklustre sales job.
Besides decrying the shortcomings of Obamacare, Trump touted what he described as improvements that would come under GOP legislation.
Trump said that the legislation eliminates the “painful individual mandate” that required Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty fee, along with removing mandates for employers. He claimed premiums would be “significantly” lowered and health insurance markets would be stabilized — notions that multiple analyses have disputed — and that access to health savings accounts would be expanded.
Trump also said legislation will continue to cover pre-existing conditions and will devote “substantial resources” to combating opioid addictions, despite Democrats and healthcare advocates arguing that it won’t.
Still, about two-thirds of Trump’s statement was devoted to what he called the “bit fat ugly lie” of Obamacare. While Trump’s message was aimed squarely at Republicans, he also chided Senate Democrats for refusal to support the legislation.
Before Monday, the president had spoken out repeatedly about the shortcomings of the ACA, which he brands a “disaster.” But he had made relatively little effort to detail for the public why Republican replacement plans would improve on it.
Before making his remarks Monday, Trump met privately with what aides described as “victims of Obamacare.” Trump has held several such meetings in an attempt to showcase the ACA’s shortcomings. With files from Tribune News Service