BREAKING: Trump just called for the dismantling of ObamaCare, and Checks sent to Americans instead.
This would be an absolute disaster. Here's why:
1) Redirecting that money directly to individuals would violate existing law and collapse the entire exchange system overnight.
2) Giving people cash instead would destroy that risk pool, driving premiums sky-high for anyone with preexisting conditions.
3) By calling insurers “money-sucking” but proposing to eliminate regulation, he’d actually increase their profits, since deregulated markets let them cherry-pick healthy customers and deny coverage to the rest.
4) Without predictable federal payments, insurers would exit state markets immediatel. Such uncertainty triggers premium spikes and loss of coverage, similar to what happened during Trump’s 2017 threats to end cost-sharing payments.
5) The cost of individual insurance plans varies wildly by age and health status. Most Americans couldn’t buy adequate coverage with a flat “check.” It would also create administrative chaos, fraud potential, and inequities. Some people would spend the funds on non-healthcare needs, leaving them uninsured later.
6) Letting people “buy their own” coverage would reopen the door to junk plans, cheap but useless insurance that vanishes when you actually get sick.