Washington, DC - President Trump is hard at work trying to keep the Republican promise of providing Americans with a better way of accessing healthcare, says Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens.
"But you wouldn't know it if you listen to leftist rhetoric alleging the president is 'sabotaging' the Affordable Care Act. The fact of the matter is that his executive orders aimed at tweaking the healthcare system we are forced to live with under Obamacare was recently described by Michael Tanner, a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute as 'a step toward giving consumers more choices and expanding millions of Americans' access to lower cost insurance that better fits their individual needs'," according to the AMAC chief.
Weber points out that contrary to what is being widely reported, Mr. Trump's executive order "far from unilaterally sabotaging the affordable care act, will permit federal agencies to use means, consistent with current law, to increase market competition and drive down the cost of health care"
For example, Weber points out that the order directs the Departments of Treasury and Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the flexibility and use of HRAs [Health Reimbursement Arrangements provided by employers] funded with pre-tax dollars.
The order also directs the departments to propose regulations to expand access to health care coverage by allowing employers to join and form Association Health Plans, to extend the duration of the current Short Term Limit Duration Insurance (STLDI) from three months back up to one year, and to purchase coverage across state lines. These changes would help lower the cost of plans whose premiums, under the Affordable Care Act will increase dramatically in 2018. "In fact, the Miami Herald recently reported that Obamacare premiums will rise by nearly 45% next year in Florida," says Weber.
The president has already issued an order getting rid of the ACA mandate that required employers - including religious institutions - to pay for contraceptives and so-called abortion solutions such as the morning after pill.
