President to Congress: Work Together to Repeal and Replace Affordable Care Act
President Donald Trump pledged to move forward on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in his first address to Congress.
He called on Democrats and Republicans to work together “to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time, provide better health care.”
He outlined his health care plan would:
- Ensure Americans with preexisting conditions have access to coverage, and have a stable transition for those currently enrolled in the healthcare exchanges
- Allow for ability to purchase coverage using tax credits and the expansion of Health Savings Accounts
- Give governors the resources and flexibility with Medicaid
- Decrease drug prices
- Allow the purchase of health insurance across state lines
The full transcript of his speech can be found here.
The National Rural Health Association urges the Administration and Congress to make health care reform work in rural America. The laudable goals of the ACA were not fully achieved in rural America. The ACA took critical steps to improve the health of rural populations, who are per capita, older, poorer and sicker than other populations, by both reducing uninsured rates by 8% in rural counties and providing vital health benefits to rural patients. However, the lack of plan competition in rural markets, exorbitant premiums and co-pays, the co-op collapses, lack of Medicaid expansion, and devastating Medicare cuts to rural providers -- all collided to create a healthcare crisis in rural America.
The goals of the ACA must remain, but Congress must make it work in rural America by:
1) Ending Medicare cuts to rural providers;
2) Ending unnecessary and burdensome regulations;
3) Providing private market reforms that create choice and affordability in rural America; and
4) Expanding Medicaid coverage to needy populations and ensuring equitable provider reimbursement.