Trump seems supportive of bipartisan two-year deal for Affordable Care Act subsidies
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Tuesday that bipartisan plan announced by two senators is part of “short-term deal” to preserve the health insurance subsidies he killed last week and that a bigger plan will be addressed next year.
Trump’s comment followed an announcement by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., announced that he and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., reached a deal on extending cost-sharing subsidies for insurance companies. Last week, Trump said he would stop paying the subsidies and force Congress to come up with a deal to save them.Â
Trump made his comments during a news conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. That followed a photo opportunity in which Trump bashed the Affordable Care Act, the signature health care signed by predecessor Barack Obama.
“Obamacare is a disgrace to our nation,” Trump said with Tsipras at his side in the Oval Office. “We are solving the problem of Obamacare.”
In the news conference, Trump pronounced Obamacare “dead as far as I’m concerned.”
He was then told about the Alexander-Murray deal.
Last week, the president signed an executive order that allowed the purchase of low-cost, short-term policies that do not adhere to the law’s requirements. He announced the government would not make cost-sharing subsidies to insurance companies that lowered the cost of insurance to millions of Americans. Â
As for his guest, Trump said he was honored by the visit of the Greek leader, saying the nation is recovering from his economic crisis.
“They’re doing a terrific job of coming back,” Trump said. “They will be back. We’re working with them on many things.”
Their joint meeting can be used to look for “additional ways Greece will help us and we will help Greece,” Trump said, citing the U.S. sale of F-16 planes as an example.
More: Trumpcare is health care vandalism pure and simple: Andy Slavitt
More: Trump’s move will lead to higher premiums for middle class consumers he’s vowed to protect
More: Analysis: How Trump is unraveling Obamacare piece by piece
Â