White House promotes latest health care bill

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The White House is promoting a new health care proposal the president insists will lower premiums and guarantee insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, even though some medical groups say they aren’t so sure.

Gary Cohn, chairman of Trump’s economic council, said the overhaul appears to have enough votes to pass. “This is going to be a great week,” Cohn told “CBS This Morning.” “We’re going to get the health care bill to the floor of the House, I’m very confident.”

But later in the day, White House press secretary Sean Spicer appeared to tamp down expectations, telling reporters, “We’re not there yet,” but adding that the Trump administration is “getting closer and closer every day.”

The president has spent much of his first 100 days in office reckoning with the realities of governing, even with a Republican-led Congress. While health care negotiations continue to prove a challenge, negotiators reached agreement Sunday on a $1 trillion-plus spending bill that would fund the day-to-day operations of virtually every federal agency to Oct. 1.

Still, the failure of the original health care bill was a heavy blow in the early days of the Trump administration. Under White House pressure, Republicans recently recast the bill.

During an interview with “Face the Nation” on CBS that aired Sunday, Trump said: “Pre-existing conditions are in the bill. And I mandate it. I said, ‘Has to be.’”

Trump added the measure has a “clause that guarantees” that people with pre-existing conditions will be covered.

But while the bill says people with pre-existing conditions will have “access,” it does not address affordability. The legislation would let states opt out of the requirement for standard premiums, under certain conditions. If a state maintains protections such as a high-risk pool, it can allow insurers to use health status as a factor in setting premiums for people who have had a break in coverage and are trying to get a new individual policy.

Last week, the American Medical Association said the Republican protections “may be illusory” and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network expressed concern the plan could return the U.S. to a “patchwork system” that drives up insurance costs for the sick.

Asked to explain Trump’s statements, Spicer said Sunday that under the current version of the measure, people with pre-existing conditions who maintain coverage will not be affected. He said waivers would change how states could treat those who don’t maintain insurance and they could find ways to “incentivize people to obtain coverage before they fall ill.” He also said states would need to have high-risk pools to get waivers.

Trump also said during the interview that if he’s unable to renegotiate a long-standing free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, then he’ll terminate the pact.

In other news, Trump on Monday said he will explore the possibility of higher gasoline and diesel fuel taxes, suggesting an increase could pay for his ambitious infrastructure plan.

“It’s something that I would certainly consider,” Trump told Bloomberg News in an interview.

The president indicated the additional money would be directed toward highway construction and repair. That’s been a problem area because fuel taxes have been unchanged since 1993 and created financial challenges for preserving the Highway Trust Fund.