Day 1,111: SOTU: Trump promised to protect patients’ pre-existing conditions as DOJ is currently trying to strip them
During a rambling, slurring, jingoistic State of the Union on Tuesday, Donald Trump made a number of wildly false and misleading claims about everything from the economy to the military to social issues.
His most reckless and dangerous claim of the evening was regarding Americans’ healthcare. Currently protected thanks to the Affordable Care Act, insurers cannot deny individuals coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Trump swore during his speech, “I’ve also made an iron-clad pledge to American families: We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions. That is a guaranty.”
But at this very moment, in federal court, Trump is trying to strip pre-existing conditions from Americans by striking down the ACA in its entirety.
The Trump administration is arguing in federal court that the Affordable Care Act should be declared unconstitutional in the Texas v. Azar lawsuit. If the Trump administration’s side wins, Obamacare would be struck down, including its requirement that people with preexisting conditions have access to health insurance. The Supreme Court has been asked to hear the case, but it has not yet decided whether it will — there will certainly be no decision before the November election.
The Trump administration doesn’t want to do it too fast though, as they want the Supreme Court to rule after the election. This procedural game spares them the wrath of voters understanding what they’re really doing. This is especially true since there is currently no plan to protect pre-existing conditions should the ACA get struck down.
The Department of Justice doesn’t want the Supreme Court to fast-track a case that could result in Obamacare being thrown out ahead of the presidential election, despite its position that the healthcare law should be abolished.
If the court agrees with the Trump administration, then President Trump and Republicans will be spared the possibility of having to come up with an Obamacare replacement in the middle of campaigning.
Trump’s only objective is to say what people want to hear, regardless of the truth. People’s lives are ancillary problems and potential collateral damage to Trump trying to win another election.
1,111 days in, 351 to go
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