While Donald Trump is asking a federal court to rip out the whole of the Affordable Care Act, root and branch, House Democrats are introducing a long-planned proposal to make it much better, more affordable, and stronger.
Announcing the plan, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it would "strengthen protections for pre-existing conditions, reverse the G.O.P.’s health care sabotage and lower Americans’ health costs." That's precisely what it does, expanding and building on the foundation that Obamacare has created for the healthcare system.
The legislation would make coverage more affordable for more than 13 million people, by cutting premiums and/or deductibles, and making sure that nearly all Americans could purchase insurance for less than 10 percent of their income. The legislation would make subsidies available to some families who are now ineligible because one member could be covered under an employer plan, even though that employer plan is unaffordable for the entire family. It would create lower-cost options that still comply fully with the law for about 12 million currently uninsured Americans, more than 40 percent of the uninsured population. It would also restore funding for outreach and in-person assistance to help people enroll in coverage.
Further, in reversing Trump's sabotage of the law, it would end his rule allowing crap insurance plans that deny coverage or charge higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions. Rep. Frank Pallone, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and one of the architects of this effort, took aim specifically at the junk plans Trump is forcing. "These junk plans discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions," he said. "They deny access to basic benefits. They set arbitrary dollar limits for health care services, leading to huge surprise bills for consumers."
Democrats had been planning on introducing the legislation Tuesday for a while, so that it comes on the same day that Trump sets out publicly to completely dismantle the law that has helped so many millions is coincidental. But telling. And really, really good for Democrats politically. Because if there's one thing that's toxic with the American public, it's taking their healthcare away.