Ben Ferguson (4:59)
The White House is unveiling a new health care framework they say will lower costs for all Americans. This after the debacle that was exposed during the government shutdown of just how much money we are spending to subsidize the Affordable Care act, which is anything but affordable. The Trump White House, we're now being told, is expected to unveil a health care policy framework that not only would lower costs, but also extend expiring Obamacare subsidies while they figure out how to move forward. Msnow and Politico reported both that the health care policy framework would include a two year extension of the expiring enhanced premium tax credits. Those are the subsidies that you're paying for? Yes. Obamacare is not cheap at all. It did not make things more affordable at all. In fact, it made the health care insurance providers rich at the expense of you, the taxpayer. We also know that there will be enhanced Obamacare subsidies which would otherwise expire at the end of the year. The proposal could be unveiled as early as this coming Monday. A White House spokesman declined to confirm the details of the plan, stating until President Trump makes an announcement himself and in reporting about the administration health care positions is mere speculation. But here's what we are learning through background. The plan, apparently with lower limits on income, eligibility for credits, and that would save American taxpayers a significant amount of money. It would also, I'm being told, set minimum premium payments as well. According to multiple reports, the proposed eligibility cap would set the subsidies to 700% of the federal poverty line. Republicans have complained that with the current Obama hair enhanced subsidies scheme, wealthy Americans would benefit from the subsidies and what was meant to be only temporary. Why were they temporary? It was during the COVID19 coronavirus outbreak when they had these extra benefits that now Democrats want to make, well, last forever, which is insane. The White House plan also would urge Congress to fund cost sharing reductions and which Republicans pushed for in the big beautiful bill but were nixed after Senate Democrats objected to its inclusion in Trump's landmark legislation, believing it violated rules on budgetary reconciliation. They claimed. Now here's the other part that's very interesting about this. The Congressional Budget Office found that these health care reforms would have lowered health care premiums by 12.7% and reduced costs by decreasing the need for Obamacare and the welfare of the government. For the EPCTs known as the Subsidies for Obamacare, the plans would have also lowered the cost if this CRS plan would have been put into effect by $30.8 billion. Now that's literally $30.8 billion. It would have saved you the taxpayer. And that is exactly why Democrats were against it. Now, the Trump proposal would also have part of their tax credits go straight to Americans via Tax Advantage Savings Account, instead of the checks going directly to health care insurance companies that are getting rich to lower America's premium. Indirectly, the president probably would like to go bigger than the Hill has the appetite for. So we'll have to see how that, you know, how it works out is what the White House Deputy chief of staff, James Blair said last week, talking about the reforms that need to be made. What we also know is the White House deputy chief of staff says that President Trump would love to push for health care reform in a way that would be meaningful, saying, quote, we're going to have to have the health care conversation. We're going to put some legislation forward. The Debbie chief said there could be interest in bipartisan reform. However, he said if that path is foreclosed, there is the partisan path of reconciliation as well. The president probably would like to go big because there needs to be big reforms. Republican lawmakers have said they believe the right House will release a framework to lower health insurance costs, expand health savings accounts, and scrap parts of the Affordable Care act that are just flat out unsustainable. In fact, much of the Obamacare program is unsustainable without record tax dollars going to prop it up. As I've mentioned earlier, there's nothing affordable about the Affordable Care Act. Now, the White House also signaled that the president's interest in health care reform is something he believes could be a massive change for the American people. A slide deck shared by the House Majority Leader, Steve Scalise this last week made it clear that House GOP leadership also falls in the overhaul camp. One slide that was viewed by Politico was titled the Unaffordable Care act and highlighted statistics that show the premiums have increased by 80% since the ACA passage, aka since Obamacare became law. It also claimed that more than 50% of Obamacare enrollees did not file a single claim this year. Walking into the meeting, Scalise said in a brief interview that he planned to keep talking with the chairs of three key committees of jurisdiction over health policy. That would be Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Education and the workforce. Now, healthcare became a focal point in the national politics as Democrats shut the government down. As I mentioned earlier, for weeks over what they described as mandatory Obamacare subsidies. They were not mandatory. They were enhanced during COVID and they will expire on purpose. The Democrats planned This way, at the end of the year, Democrats first enhanced these subsidies through 1.9 trillion. Let me say that again. 1.9 trillion in coronavirus era stimulus plans, including the American rescue plan. They continued the subsidies through the end of 2025 with the so called inflation reduction act that did anything but that. Trump weighed in on the issue, stating that health care dollars should go directly to the American people instead of through subsidies to health insurance companies. Saying it this way on social media, quote, the only health care I will support or approve is sending the money directly back to the people with nothing going to the big fat rich insurance companies who have made trillions and ripped off America long enough. The people will be allowed to negotiate and buy their own much better insurance. Power to the people, Congress, do not waste your time in energy on anything else. This is the only way to have great health care in America. The Republican Senate community chairman said that a second reconciliation bill should address affordability, which should include health care reform. Saying the Democrats are incapable of coming up with a plan that is competitive, transparent and actually reduces costs. Why? Because they're lining the pockets of their friends in the healthcare provider industry and they know that as long as the government's willing to send them the check, they get rich every single time the money comes into their accounts. This also just goes back to consumer choice and freedom. The President believes that you as an American deserve to have your money and then you can put it to work the way that you decide to do it in a more responsible manner than the corruption of the government. Dr. Mark Siegel on Fox News Channel talking exactly this. And here is what he had to say on Fox News Sunday.
