Over the next several weeks, Americans will hear a lot about how President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court will affect healthcare in America.
But the reality is that thanks to the Trump administration, the future of healthcare in this country is bright — regardless of who sits on the Supreme Court.
The left and their allies have turned to the same stale playbook to keep good judges off the bench: ginning up fear, uncertainty and doubt over the future of Americans’ healthcare if the president’s nominee is confirmed.
When they tried and failed to filibuster Justice Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court confirmation, they frantically asserted that he would “undermine access to basic healthcare.” When they tried and failed to block the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, they hysterically insisted he would “rip healthcare from American families.”
Before President Trump could even nominate someone to fill the seat made vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, may she rest in peace, the left began absurdly claiming that the president’s (forthcoming) nominee would “take healthcare away” from millions of Americans.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The case at issue: whether Congress can mandate you purchase health insurance — or any other product — merely for existing. In 2012, the Supreme Court narrowly upheld Obamacare’s “individual mandate,” but only because it raised revenue — by fining people who couldn’t afford or didn’t want insurance.
But in 2017, President Trump and Congress eliminated that fine, saving taxpayers millions of dollars. The mandate still exists, but the penalty — and its related revenues — is gone. A group of 20 states are asking the Supreme Court whether Congress can mandate their citizens buy a product, even if it has nothing to do with revenue.
The Supreme Court will hear the case later this year. Congress could make the whole case moot by passing a one-line bill repealing the mandate altogether. But regardless of what the Supreme Court decides, or how a future nominee might vote, the future of American healthcare is bright thanks to the Trump administration.
The president opened up new avenues for small businesses and entrepreneurs to band together and obtain more affordable coverage for their workers. He made it easier for people between jobs to get affordable plans to bridge that gap.
He oversaw the largest decrease in drug prices in more than 50 years. He signed new executive orders to protect people with pre-existing conditions.
He issued executive orders to protect Medicare’s promise to our seniors and individuals with disabilities. And he made hospitals and insurance companies be transparent about how much healthcare would cost, protecting patients from being blindsided by massive medical bills.
Regardless of what happens at the Supreme Court, President Trump’s record on healthcare is clear: More options. Lower costs. Greater access. More transparency.
The future of healthcare in America is bright, thanks to the Trump administration. With the agenda he outlined at the White House on Thursday, it’s clear it would only get brighter in a second term.
