Tag: Trump attack on Americans’ health care

Political gaze shifts to the Supreme Court as justices hear pivotal health care case

The argument marks the first major case for Justice Amy Coney Barrett

The Supreme Court with new Justice Amy Coney Barrett hears oral argument Tuesday in a case that threatens to wipe out the 2010 health care law, likely the term’s most consequential case, under a political spotlight that rarely shines brighter on justices who would rather stay out of it.

In the third major test for President Barack Obama’s signature law at the high court, the focus at oral argument largely will be on whether the justices will follow one of several ways to let the law stand, even though it is a more conservative court than in previous challenges.

It is the first major case for Barrett, who arrived after a divisive confirmation fight in the Senate that largely focused on what she might do in this case. President Donald Trump said in an interview with “60 Minutes” that he hopes the Supreme Court ends the law known as the Affordable Care Act — “It will be so good if they end it” — and Democrats argued that’s why he appointed her. Continue reading.

Trump to Supreme Court: Take Away Health Care From 337,000 Minnesotans During A Pandemic

DFL Party slams Trump legal brief urging the Supreme Court to end the A.C.A.

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Late last night, President Trump’s administration filed a legal brief urging the Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the midst of a pandemic.

According to newly-released numbers from the Center for American Progress (CAP), a public policy think tank, 337,000 Minnesotans would lose their health insurance if Trump succeeds in eliminating the ACA.

Nationwide, CAP projected that 23,259,000 Americans will lose their health insurance if the ACA is struck down – 3,382,000 of whom would lose health insurance specifically due to the loss of jobs and employer-sponsored insurance as a result of COVID-19 and Trump’s failure to manage the virus. CAP’s pre-pandemic numbers are in line with official estimates released by Trump’s own Department of Health and Human Services just last year. Continue reading “Trump to Supreme Court: Take Away Health Care From 337,000 Minnesotans During A Pandemic”

The viral video of Mike Pence being grilled by an ER doctor about Medicaid cuts, explained

Pence struggled to justify a new policy in an exchange that captured something profound about the health care debate.

Dr. Rob Davidson was grabbing a bite at the Drake Diner in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday when Vice President Mike Pence just happened to stroll in. The polite but determined exchange that ensued became a viral video — and captured something profound about the state of the health care policy debate in President Trump’s America.

Davidson works as an emergency room doctor in western Michigan and is the executive director of the Committee to Protect Medicare. He told Vox he was in Iowa for a press conference related to his work for the committee. So as Pence glad-handed around the diner, Davidson took the opportunity to press him on a new plan the Trump administration rolled out earlier that same day that would allow states to use waivers and block grants to cut federal Medicaid funding.

When Pence walked up to his table, Davidson introduced himself and said, “I’m an emergency doctor. I’m worried about the plans [Trump] talked about last week to maybe cut Medicare, and then the rollout today of cutting Medicaid. I work in one of the poorest counties in Michigan and my patients depend on expanded Medicaid, so how is that going to affect my patients?” Continue reading.

Supreme Court to take up Trump appeal in ObamaCare birth control case

The Hill logoThe Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear the Trump administration’s appeal in a legal fight over religious exemptions for ObamaCare’s requirement that employer-based health insurance plans cover birth control.

The administration is seeking to expand exemptions for religious objectors to the Affordable Care Act’s so-called contraceptive mandate.

It will mark the third time the Supreme Court weighs in on the mandate, a controversial provision of ObamaCare that has been fiercely opposed by conservatives and religious groups for years.  Continue reading.

Trump lashes out at HHS secretary after briefing shows Democrats leading on health care

Washington Post logoPresident Trump lashed out at Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar for not doing enough on health care and drug pricing during a campaign meeting this week after he was briefed on polling that showed the public trusted Democrats more than Republicans on the issue, according to four people present at or briefed about the meeting.

Campaign advisers were updating Trump at the White House on Thursday on polling from battleground states, including Florida, that showed which party voters trusted more on various issues. One of those issues was health care, which often polls as the top voter concern, and the data showed the public trusted Democrats more than Republicans.

Trump reacted furiously and said the Democrats would “kill us” on health care, according to the four people, who requested anonymity to candidly describe the private meeting. The president then picked up the phone, called Azar and put him on speakerphone in the middle of the meeting, the people said. Continue reading.

Trump Attorneys Demand Court Strike ‘Pre-Existing Condition’ Protections

In a Wednesday court filing, the Trump administration erased any doubt as to their position on destroying access to health care for millions of Americans: They’re all in.

The Department of Justice is asking a federal appeals court to repeal the entirety of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a decision which would cause at least 20 million Americans to lose their health insurance.

The ACA also contains popular and important protections, such as making sure insurance companies can’t discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, requiring plans to cover basic health needs like maternity care, and allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance until age 26. Those protections would go away if Trump gets his wish.

View the complete May 2 article by Dan Desai Martin on the National Memo website here.