Trump’s Threats on Obamacare Funds May Drive Out Poor, Insurers
- Assistance for patients’ out-of-pocket costs in danger
- Insurers could exit exchanges mid-year if payments halted
Trump Says Premiums Will Come Down Under New Health Bill
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As Congress wrangles over how to gut Obamacare in the coming years, a move threatened by the Trump administration could weaken the program in just weeks -- by cutting health-care subsidies for the poor, which could cause thousands to lose coverage.
President Donald Trump and his administration have said they may stop paying subsidies worth about $7 billion a year that are used to help low-income people in Obamacare with co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs. While passage of a GOP repeal bill Thursday may postpone immediate action, ending the subsidies would mean hundreds or thousands of dollars a year in extra expenses that those people can’t afford.