Ross: An important question about America’s health care system

There was one question at Wednesday’s White House press scrimmage that was actually important. It concerned President Trump’s decision to stop forcing Americans to buy health insurance.

Question: How is it possible to keep premiums down and cover pre-existing conditions without the individual mandate to fund it?

The president answered that his people are coming up with incredible health care plans, which he says “is causing great competition and driving the prices right down…”

That’s good because a cancer diagnosis can mean a bill of $50,000 to $100,000 to start. But then the president wandered away from the question, talking about how great it is that no one’s forced to buy health insurance anymore.

“Getting rid of the individual mandate is a very popular thing and people very much appreciate it,” Trump said.

Yes … until the day you need chemo and the hospital asks, “Can we see your insurance?” And you’ll say, “The president says I don’t have to have insurance.” And they’ll say, “Are you on Medicare?” And you’ll say, “I’m not 65” and they’ll say, ”Please give us a check for $50,000.”

So then you’ll call an insurance company and say: “I have cancer, I need insurance.” And they’ll say, “That’s like trying to buy fire insurance while the house is burning.”

So you go home and change the date on your birth certificate and sign up for Medicare. Which is fraud, and could send you to prison – where you have a constitutional right to health care! Problem solved.

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