The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 2.1 more million people became uninsured between the end of 2016 and end of 2018. That upward trend in the uninsured rate corresponds to Donald Trump's time in office, of course.
Because the nation, so far, has remained economically healthy, it's pretty clear that the problem is in large part Trump and his administration's sabotage of the Affordable Care Act, as well as the repeal of the individual mandate. "The broader economy would say we should be going the other direction," said Eliot Fishman, senior director of health policy at Families USA. "I think it's for sure because of Trump administration policies." Emily Gee, a health economist at the liberal Center for American Progress, concurs, saying "Numerous smaller actions the Trump administration has taken really add up to people losing coverage."
In an action that’s totally not normal and in any other administration would be a thing to get fired over, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Seema Verma is placing blame on the very law that provided insurance for so many. "ObamaCare is failing the American people, and the ongoing exodus of the unsubsidized population from the market proves that Obamacare's sky-high premiums are unaffordable." She is the person responsible for overseeing and executing the ACA and every other health law. She, too, is garbage.
Because while premiums did go up in 2016, as noted by Larry Levitt, a health policy expert at the Kaiser Family Foundation, that was a "one-time market correction" while insurers adjusted following their first couple of years experience with the law. "But he said subsequent increases between 2017 and 2018 are more directly traceable to Trump administration actions and uncertainty about whether ObamaCare would be repealed by Republicans."
Other increases in the uninsured rate are attributable to the administration's allowing Medicaid waivers that include work requirements and ridiculously stringent eligibility reporting, which has meant tens of thousands losing coverage.
Seriously, though. They mean to destroy health care, still. Please give $1 to help Democrats in each of these crucial Senate races!