ICYMI: Trump’s Health Savings Account Plan Puts Democrats on the Spot

Last week, the Washington Examiner published an opinion piece by AFP’s senior health policy fellow Dean Clancy explaining how Trump’s new health care plan has put Democrats on the spot, forcing them to choose between Big Insurance and the patients they claim to care about.  

Recently, Democrats shut down the government for six weeks, inflicting untold pain and frustration on millions of Americans, in a vain attempt to keep Obamacare subsidies to their friends in the health insurance industry flowing at maximum volume. And they did it under the guise of wanting to make health insurance “affordable.”  

Clancy writes:  

Who are they kidding? Health care is more expensive than ever. Obamacare was supposed to fix this, but failed. And Democrats’ dream of a government takeover of the entire system (“Medicare for All”) would only make things more expensive. We need a new approach. 

Enter President Trump, who has proclaimed a brilliant idea: fund people, not insurance companies.  

Last week, the president declared: ‘We want a health care system where we pay the money to the people instead of the insurance companies.’ The next day, he added: ‘Republicans should give money directly to your personal Health Savings Accounts that I expanded in our Great Big Beautiful Bill.’  

Boom. In just a few sentences, the president painted a health care vision that empowers doctors and patients, introduces market-based competition where there’s almost none, and allows Republicans to go on offense. This is big. …  

Democrats are vulnerable on health care because they are aligned with Big Insurance. Obamacare sends more than $100 billion a year to insurance companies, which have basically become overpriced, and highly profitable, government-regulated utilities. 

The article goes on to explain just how badly Obamacare (“The Affordable Care Act”) has missed the mark when it comes to making health care affordable.  

And it explains how tax-free Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) make health care more affordable, while expanding patients’ access to the care and doctors they trust.  

Clancy notes that two great bills have been introduced that turn Trump’s brilliant “fund patients” idea into reality: Senator Rick’s Scott’s (R-Fla.) More Affordable Care Act and Rep. Greg Steube’s (R-Fla.) HSA ACCESS Act.  

Neither proposal would cost taxpayers a dime.  

And while we’re promoting affordability, let’s expand access to affordable short term health plans and trusted specialists and make workplace coverage portable.  

The article concludes:  

The U.S.S. Obamacare is sinking. Instead of bailing it out with more billions, Trump is calling Democrats’ bluff, forcing them to choose between their insurance buddies and the patients they claim to care about.  

This is the true health care affordability plan we’ve been waiting for.  

Kudos to President Trump for advancing what we at AFP call a Personal Option: reliable, hassle-free health care you can afford.   

Read the original article here.