Longtime Obamacare critic says Trump plan won't solve program's fatal flaws
The underlying problems with Obamacare will persist — even if Republicans tweak the way its subsidies work, said Avik Roy, a healthcare policy expert and one of Obamacare's most vocal...
By Fox News · Fox News
The underlying problems with Obamacare will persist — even if Republicans tweak the way its subsidies work, said Avik Roy, a healthcare policy expert and one of Obamacare's most vocal critics. In Roy’s view, Republican proposals to redirect financial assistance straight to policyholders instead of routing them directly to insurance companies would do little to drive costs down without broader reforms. "Imagine if there was agricultural regulation such that you couldn’t buy a steak for less than $300," Roy said. "And then you said, ‘Oh, we’re going to solve that problem by giving everybody more food stamps so they can afford a sirloin at the grocery store.’" "Would that solve the problem? Actually addressing the core root of why a steak costs $300 — wouldn’t you want to solve that problem first?" OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES AT CENTER OF DEM SHUTDOWN FIGHT 'FUEL' HEALTHCARE COST INFLATION, CONSERVATIVES SAY Amid congressional divisions over what to do about expiring COVID-era financial assistance to Obamacare plans, some Republicans have floated providing those credits directly to policyholders through Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). By giving Obamacare users more say in how to spend that money, Republicans hope to introduce some competition and drive down costs in the long run. Congress greatly expanded subsidies for Obamacare in 2021, helping enrollees cover the costs of their health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that those subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025, Democrats worry millions of Americans will find themselves facing significantly higher premiums overnight at the end of the year unless they’re continued in some way. Instead of abolishing them outright, President Donald Trump urged Republicans to adopt the direct-to-policyholder change through a post Truth Social earlier this month. "I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money-sucking Insurance Companies in order to save the…