Durbin wishes Trump well, urges maintaining Obamacare
Says that after recovery president should sympathize
Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin had a message for President Donald Trump on Friday: Get well soon — and maintain the Affordable Care Act.
Before blasting Trump’s swift nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court as a crack at dismantling the landmark health care plan, the second-ranking Democratic senator said the health of the president and the first lady — who both announced early Friday morning that they tested positive for the coronavirus — is paramount.
“We wish them a complete and speedy recovery,” Durbin said at a news conference at Mount Sinai Hospital on Chicago’s West Side. “Politics aside, this is a moment for us to come together and as we should with every person facing this challenge and wish them the very best care and the very best results as quickly as possible.”
Durbin, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he also hopes Trump takes this time to sympathize with the millions of Americans with preexisting conditions who could lose health care should the Supreme Court strike down the ACA, also known as Obamacare. That starts with ensuring Senate Republicans do not install Barrett on the highest court before it hears oral arguments on the law’s constitutionality on Nov. 10, he said.
“Having said that, we now have to advise the president after he is fully recovered that he is a person with a preexisting condition,” Durbin said. “He has tested positive for COVID-19. He joins at least 6 million Americans in the same category. It won’t make a big difference probably in his life or the life of the first lady moving forward, but it can make a big difference if we’re not careful.”
Before the ACA, people with certain preexisting health conditions — illnesses or injuries including cancer, respiratory problems, mental health disorders and more — faced higher premiums or were excluded from coverage by health insurance companies. A past coronavirus diagnosis might also apply as a medical condition that insurers would discriminate against were it not for the ACA, according to the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.
The ACA has faced numerous attempts by Republicans to dismantle it, and one significant change has been Congress’ move to eliminate penalties people had to pay for not having health insurance. Officials in GOP-led states, as well as the Trump administration, sued the federal government in 2018 to strike down Obamacare, setting the stage for the Supreme Court to hear arguments a week after the Nov. 3 election.
Replacing former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before then jeopardizes the ACA, making the question of Barrett’s confirmation process all the more urgent to Durbin. He also cited the proximity of the vacancy to a presidential election as reason to wait.
In addition, Durbin said Trump’s illness, and a potential ongoing outbreak at the White House, makes it inappropriate to proceed with talks in Washington about Barrett’s confirmation.
“There is no reason why we can’t wait with this nominee to a moment that is safer, more consistent with history and gives us a chance to take a closer look at her record,” Durbin said. “The only, only compelling reason is that Nov. 10 hearing to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. … How do I know this? Because the president told me so. And he told America, that’s exactly what he’s setting out to do.”
Nevertheless, his pleas are unlikely to convince Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Even before Durbin’s news conference began, the Republican from Kentucky tweeted that he was going “full steam ahead” with Barrett’s confirmation process.