In January and at the end of the recent enrollment period, President Trump cut funding meant to pay for ads that would encourage young people to enroll in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) otherwise referred to as Obamacare. The action ended up causing a drop in enrollment when it is normally at its highest. Because Trump was able to withhold that funding, in a way, it was a small-scale simulation of what he could do to the Health Care Law now since he said he could withholding subsidy payments to insurance providers that are part of the marketplace.

Uncertainty from an administration that contradicts itself

It's been estimated that if the President denies subsidy payments to those insurers that they will have no choice but to raise premiums. The Kaiser Family Center estimated that providers could raise those premiums to at least 19 percent and higher. This would, in turn, discourage people from getting insurance even if they may or may not be held to the individual mandate. Recently in an interview with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, tom price, he said that he was willing to get rid of the individual mandate which is used to penalize those who do not join the program as a solution to keep the program going.

But when asked if he would allow the ACA to implode, Price said they would not.

But this is unlikely as Tom Price was himself involved with the misuse of ACA funds.The Daily Beast reported in an article titled: "Team Trump Used Obamacare Money to Run PR Effort Against It" that the administration used that money had been used to in turn run ads against the ACA. With the President currently on a "working" vacation throughout August, it's unknown and yet possible that he is working on his plan to make sure the ACA "implodes" most likely targeting those subsidy payments.

Republicans show no signs of resisting Trump on ACA

With concern to funding going to ads, the Daily Beast also reported that members of Congress were looking to conduct an investigation to see if the administration had misused funds or violated any laws. Thus far, it appears to be more of an effort by Democrats rather than Republicans who were more likely to look the other way. There are certainly standard protections that were put in place in order to prevent the misuse of funds.

But regardless of this, the President has also shown that he is capable of violating protections and test limits of laws and yet not have suffered the consequences.

With Republicans expressing defeat with trying to get rid of the health care law using congressional legislation they might have finally submitted to working in a bipartisan manner with Democrats to fix the current law. At the same time, they too suffer no consequence if they allow President Trump to take the lead and kill the ACA himself. But at least one Republican lawmaker has said that they would like to see subsidy funding continue for at least two-months as they are paid out to providers monthly. But the President has continued to make threats about health care and the White House has already been targeting Republicans who refused to vote to pass repeal bills the failed repeal bills. Unless Congress actively tries to prevent the President from taking action, there is little to stop it.
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