Perspectives On GOP Plans For Medicare And Advice About Replacing Obamacare
Opinion writers contemplate what the Trump administration's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services portends in terms of health policy changes and offer cautions.
The Washington Post:
Will Republicans Gut Medicare? Trump Promised Over And Over He Wouldn’t. Here’s The Video.
Donald Trump’s choice of GOP Rep. Tom Price as secretary of health and human services is being widely interpreted as a sign that he is likely to proceed with plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act and convert Medicare into a “premium support” scheme along the lines that Paul Ryan has long championed. Trump did repeatedly promise to repeal Obamacare. But Medicare is a different matter. Trump promised countless times not to cut Medicare and repeatedly suggested he would leave the program as it is. (Greg Sargent, 12/1)
The New York Times:
What Republicans Should Know About The A.C.A.
As President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress decide the future of the Affordable Care Act, they ought to pay close attention to a survey published on Thursday that shows that a large majority of the country supports the law’s most important provisions. Republican lawmakers and candidates have portrayed the 2010 law as an unmitigated disaster that must be repealed. (Vikas Bajaj, 12/1)
The Washington Post:
Trump Should Keep This Part Of Obamacare
The left is in a tizzy about what happens to health-care policy under Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), Donald Trump’s pick for health and human services secretary. Price’s wish list, after all, reads like a liberal nightmare. (Catherine Rampell, 12/1)
Sacramento Bee:
Trump Starts To Reveal Obamacare Plans
After campaigning on a platform long on platitudes and short on specifics, President-elect Donald Trump this week started to reveal what he has in store for the nation’s health care system – and many Californians aren’t going to like what they hear. Trump, who promised to replace Obamacare with “something terrific,” chose Rep. Tom Price, a tea party Republican from suburban Atlanta and one of Obamacare’s fiercest critics, as his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. (Sal Rosselli, 12/1)
The New York Times:
Seduced And Betrayed By Donald Trump
Yes, the white working class is about to be betrayed. The evidence of that coming betrayal is obvious in the choice of an array of pro-corporate, anti-labor figures for key positions. In particular, the most important story of the week — seriously, people, stop focusing on Trump Twitter — was the selection of Tom Price, an ardent opponent of Obamacare and advocate of Medicare privatization, as secretary of health and human services. This choice probably means that the Affordable Care Act is doomed — and Mr. Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters will be among the biggest losers. (Paul Krugman, 12/2)
WBUR:
Doctor: I Quit AMA Over Its Endorsement Of Trump's Health Secretary Pick
This week, the American Medical Association promptly endorsed U.S. Rep. Tom Price, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to serve as health and human services secretary. The news filled me with so much disgust that I resigned my membership. (Carolyn Sax, 12/1)
Arizona Republic:
Obamacare Is A Bad Deal For Arizona Millennials
Why aren’t Arizona’s Millennials signing up for the Affordable Care Act? That’s what the Obama administration is wondering now that open enrollment is underway in Arizona and across the nation. My generation is the key to the Affordable Care Act’s success, and yet so far we’ve steered clear for three straight years. (David Barnes, 12/1)
