DALLAS — President Trump announced what he dubbed “the Great Healthcare plan,” featuring a crackdown on insurance companies, during his speech at the GOP midterm convention Wednesday night.
Trump’s exact timetable for getting “the Great Healthcare plan” passed through Congress is not immediately clear, but the president also teased plans to make his policies to reduce prescription drug prices permanent and end surprise medical billing.
“We will pass the Great Healthcare plan to stop all government payments to big insurance companies, and give the money directly to the people, for you to buy your own healthcare and have money left over,” Trump declared.
Last year, when the enhanced Obamacare subsidies were set to expire, Republicans floated multiple different proposals for an alternative policy. Trump had gravitated towards the idea of taking the subsidies and giving them directly to consumers rather than going through insurance companies.
Details of Trump’s “Great Healthcare plan” were sparse. Republicans previously attempted to enact comprehensive healthcare reform during his first administration, but were unable to get it through the Senate.
During his speech, Trump also touted other healthcare ideas and policies that he is pursuing.
“We will end surprise medical billing, and require insurers and hospitals to post all prices clearly in plain English,” the president vowed.
“We will make our Most Favored Nation Agreements on prescription drug prices permanent, which reduces your prescription drug prices by 90%.”
Trump also ticked through a slew of proposals, including ending no cash bail, ending “out-of-control credit card swipe fees,” passing the No Invasions Act, wrangling through the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, and ending “transgender mutilation of your children.”
The new policy push comes as Trump is trying to energize the Republican base to avoid major losses in November and defy the historical trend of the party in control of the White House losing House seats in the midterms.
“We have to have Congress. We have to have the majorities. If we don’t have the majorities, so much can be lost,” Trump stressed. “They’re so destructive. These people. They have no heart.
“We have to make sure they don’t have a chance to destroy our country,” he added. “This is one of the most important elections of your lives.”
