Trump threatens to axe Congress members’ sweetheart health care deal and threatens insurance companies with pain following Obamacare repeal disaster

Monday, July 31, 2017
By Paul Martin

President says he might kill off government payments to insurers that are aimed at trimming premium costs for low-income Americans
Payments also subsidize Obamacare costs for members of Congress and aides
‘If ObamaCare is hurting people, & it is, why shouldn’t it hurt the insurance companies & why should Congress not be paying what public pays?’ Trump tweeted

By David Martosko, US Political Editor
DailyMail.com
31 July 2017

resident Trump hinted on Monday that he’s prepared to end federal government subsidy payments to medical insurers this week, hastening the implosion of the Obamacare system and forcing congressional action.

And he suggested that members of Congress and their staffs should no longer have a sweetheart deal that gives them taxpayer dollars to offset the cost of enrolling in insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

‘If ObamaCare is hurting people, & it is, why shouldn’t it hurt the insurance companies & why should Congress not be paying what public pays?’ the president tweeted.

Trump warned over the weekend that he would end the federal subsidies for medical insurance for Congress and the rest of the country if the Senate didn’t act soon.

The payments are aimed at trimming out-of-pocket costs for lower income Americans who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford Obamacare’s spiraling insurance premiums.

But some Republicans say the Obamacare law never authorized Congress to appropriate money for them.

In addition, there is a monthly federal contribution for lawmakers and their staffs, who were moved onto Obamacare insurance exchanges as part of the 2010 law.

‘If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!’ Trump tweeted.

The subsidies, totaling about $7 billion a year, help reduce deductibles and copayments for consumers with modest incomes. The Obama administration used its rule-making authority to set direct payments to insurers to help offset these costs. Trump inherited the payment structure, but he also has the power to end them.

The payments are the subject of a lawsuit brought by House Republicans over whether the health law specifically included a congressional appropriation for the money, as required under the Constitution. Trump has only guaranteed the payments through July, which ends Monday.

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