On Thursday, Republicans finally brought their previously secret health care bill out of the closet and revealed it to the American people. As expected, it did not go over well and now even former President Barack Obama is speaking out.
Obama on Trumpcare
Back in November 2008, Barack Obama shocked the world with his historic victory in the presidential election. Obama became the first African-American to hold the job as commander-in-chief, and did so running on the message of hope and change.
Out of the eight years he was in the White House, the biggest mark he made when it came to legislation was his signing of the affordable care act, otherwise known as Obamacare. The law changed how Americans received their health insurance, and despite expected partisan backlash, it's enabled millions of people to obtain coverage for the first time. However, the election for Donald Trump brought major changes to Obamacare, as the president and his Republicans in Congress have worked to repeal the law and replace it with a controversial piece of legislation known as "Trumpcare." After passing the House of Representatives last month, Republicans rolled out the Senate version which received instant backlash from liberals, Democrats, and many independents who hit back at the bill's cuts from programs like Medicaid, while adding further tax breaks to the most wealthy.
As seen on his Facebook page on June 22, Obama is speaking out.
In a lengthy Facebook post on Thursday afternoon, Barack Obama didn't hold back his thoughts on Donald Trump's health care alternative. "I recognize that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has become a core tenet of the Republican Party," Obama wrote, while adding that he hopes Republicans "step back and measure what’s really at stake." The former president urged Republicans took look at the bigger picture and what is at stake, instead of just "undoing something that Democrats did."
"The legislation rushed through the House and the Senate without public hearings or debate would do the opposite," Barack Obama went on to write.
"It would raise costs, reduce coverage, roll back protections, and ruin Medicaid as we know it," he continued, before pointing out, "That’s not my opinion, but rather the conclusion of all objective analyses."
"The Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a health care bill. It’s a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America," Barack Obama added, before elaborating further on the negative aspects in Donald Trump's health care proposal. "Simply put, if there’s a chance you might get sick, get old, or start a family – this bill will do you harm," he noted. Obama warned that "small tweaks" can not safe the bill in question, and that it should not pass to the president's desk.
Moving forward
While it's clear that Barack Obama, most Democrats, and many other critics of the president are not thrilled with the president's bill, it does have a realistic shot at becoming law. With Republicans holding the majority in Congress and Donald Trump in the White House, it could just be a matter of time before the United States sees yet another fundamental change in how it handles health care and health insurance.