(CNSNews.com) – President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has been involved in a short-term bipartisan deal which will extend subsidies for insurance companies to cover low-income Americans, also known as cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments, which he cancelled last week.
The deal by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) will extend federal payments to the insurance companies to cover the subsidies of low-income Americans for two years. The deal would also give Republicans what they’re asking for, which is giving states the option of avoiding some Obamacare requirements.
During a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, the president was asked whether the White House has been involved in the negotiations and whether he supports the deal.
“Yes, we have been involved, and this is a short-term deal, because we think ultimately block grants going to the states is going to be the answer. That’s a very good solution. We think it’s going to not only save money but give people much better health care with a very, very much smaller premium spike, and you look at what’s gone on with that, also much lower deductible so they can use it,” Trump said.
“Lamar has been working very, very hard with the Democratic, his colleagues on the other side, and Patty Murray is one of them in particular, and they’re coming up, and they’re fairly close to a short-term solution. The solution will be for about a year or two years, and it’ll get us over this intermediate hump,” the president said, adding that the GOP will have the voted for “the potential of having great health care in our country.”
“So they are indeed working, but it is a short-term solution so that we don’t have this very dangerous little period, including dangerous period for insurance companies by the way. For a period of one year, two years, we will have a very good solution, but we’re going to have a great solution ultimately for health care, and they are working together, and I know very much what they’re doing,” Trump added.
The president said after tax reform is don, he plans to move forward with the Graham-Cassidy health care bill, which will give block grants to the states so that states can run their own health insurance program. He said the states “can much better manage this money and much better take care of the people rather than the federal government.”
(First reported by CNS News) https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/melanie-arter/trump-we-have-been-involved-alexander-murray-health-care-deal (October 18, 2017)
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