Ross: Are sick people really covered under Trumpcare?
May 1, 2017, 8:11 AM
There is one thing Donald Trump actually liked about Obamacare: that insurance companies can’t deny you coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
RELATED: When Obamacare vanishes, watch for the fine print
President Trump has promised that his plan would also cover pre-existing conditions. But what we tend to forget is Obamacare didn’t just cover sick people, it also charged them the same premium as healthy people.
“Insurance companies will finally have to charge you the same rates as everybody else, even if you have a pre-existing condition,” Obama said. “That’s what the Affordable Care Act does.”
That’s why premiums under Obamacare got so high.
So now, to what President Trump told John Dickerson on “Face The Nation” Sunday. Trump guaranteed his plan would cover sick people (“We actually have a clause that guarantees”) but didn’t say at what price – except to promise that competition would keep rates down.
“What’s going to happen is the competition is going to drive down the premiums, in my opinion, much much more than people understand,” Trump said.
RELATED: When government has its hands in your medicine
Ultimately, Trump wants health care completely turned over to the states.
“Look, because if you hurt your knee, honestly, I’d rather have the federal government focused on North Korea than your knee,” he said.
Knee injuries are one thing, but are insurance companies really going to compete to cover sick people? People with diabetes? Heart disease? Cancer?
When those people can’t afford their premiums, is your state really going to pick up that cost?
And if it doesn’t, where do these people end up pitching their tents?
-
Tune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.
