Truth is, Trump never wanted to fix Obamacare. He said it was dead, and now he’s going to kill it.
But the bill in question is a modest one. The compromise offered by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) yesterday gives a bit to both sides but does not fundamentally alter the Affordable Care Act. For Democrats, the bill would thwart some of Trump’s efforts to sabotage Obamacare—it would restore reimbursements to insurance companies that Trump has attempted to end and increase funding for outreach efforts designed to encourage people to sign people up for insurance. For Republicans, the bill offers more flexibility to states asking for waivers from some Obamacare rules, and it opens up catastrophic plans to everyone (currently those are just available to people who are younger than 30 or who qualify for specific exemptions).
Trump’s response? All over the map. Yesterday, before the deal was announced, Trump seemed to offer support in a press conference. Trump followed that up during a speech last night, where he managed to both praise the deal and suggest he might oppose it, saying “I commend the bipartisan work done by Senators Alexander and Murray—and I do commend it—I continue to believe Congress must find a solution to the Obamacare mess instead of providing bailouts to insurance companies.”
But with his tweet this morning, Trump seemed to end chances of the bill passing.
Kind of an odd position to take for Trump — he’s AGAINST businesses doing well now?