Washington, D.C. — In an interview with NBC News, Donald Trump confirmed he is open to repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) once he’s back in office. He called the ACA “lousy health care” and repeated lies about his administration’s record, claiming he made the ACA “as good as we can make it.” In reality, the Trump administration sabotaged health care at every turn, costs skyrocketed, and millions lost their coverage.
The news comes as Republicans are eyeing devastating Medicaid cuts to fund more tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. At the same time, Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is working behind the scenes to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. In response to Trump’s latest attacks on health care, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
“We’ve been saying this all along: American health care is in grave danger under Donald Trump. He will stop at nothing to repeal and sabotage the Affordable Care Act, which means health care for millions of families is in jeopardy. Trump’s lie that he made the ACA better is nothing short of preposterous. During his first term, he tried every trick possible to sabotage the ACA after repeal failed. Let’s be clear: repealing the ACA is not just about covering more than 40 million Americans, but it also means ripping away protections for people with pre-existing conditions, imposing an ‘age tax’ on older Americans, and putting big insurance companies back in charge.
“This has always been personal for Trump — he wants to get back at John McCain and Barack Obama and other political enemies — but we know the Republican party will follow him to the bitter end. And they will not stop at the ACA. His allies are already looking to cut Medicare and Medicaid to fund tax breaks for their wealthy friends. The cat is out of the bag, and now we know Republicans have never given up on their war on health care.”
If The Affordable Care Act Is Repealed:
- GONE: Protections for more than 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, including 54 million people with a pre-existing condition that would make them completely uninsurable.
- GONE: Medicaid expansion, which covers about 21 million people.
- GONE: Quality, affordable coverage for over 21.4 million people who buy insurance on their own.
- GONE: Lower prescription drug prices for over 54.5 million seniors who would have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare ‘donut hole’ will be reopened.
- GONE: Critical funding for rural hospitals.
- GONE: Lower costs and better care for more than 67 million people on Medicare who will face disruptions to their medical care.
- GONE: Coverage for 2.3 million adult children who are on their parents’ insurance.
- GONE: Ban on insurance companies being able to charge women more than men
- GONE: Ban on insurance companies having annual and lifetime caps on coverage.
- GONE: Requirements that insurance companies cover prescription drugs and maternity care.