President Trump urged congressional Democrats to support the Obamacare reform plan currently working its way through the House, arguing the entire healthcare system could collapse if lawmakers did nothing to fix the law.
“I encourage Democrats to work with us to improve the healthcare system for the American people,” Trump said Friday in his weekly address.
“I want every American to know that action on Obamacare is an urgent necessity. The law is collapsing around us, and if we do not act to save Americans from this wreckage, it will take our healthcare system all the way down with it,” Trump said. “If we do nothing, millions more innocent Americans will be hurt, and badly hurt.”
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spent the week working to shore up Republican support for the American Health Care Act, which has faced some opposition from conservative lawmakers since its introduction on Monday.
Pence held a series of meetings with Republicans on Capitol Hill this week, and Trump invited several of the GOP plan’s most prominent critics to the White House for private discussions about the bill.
Trump doubled down on his support of the plan Friday while assuring skeptics that additional reforms will come during the final two phases of the three-phase strategy the White House unveiled on Tuesday.
“House Republicans have put forward a plan that gets rid of this terrible law and replaces it with reforms that empower states and consumers,” Trump said. “You will have the choice and the freedom to make the decisions that are right for your family. The House plan follows the guidelines I laid out in my recent address to Congress: expanding choice, lowering costs and providing healthcare access for all.”
“This plan is part of a three-pronged reform process,” Trump added. “In concert with the plan in front of Congress, I have directed Dr. Tom Price, our secretary of health and human services, to use his authority to reduce regulations that are driving up costs of care.”
The president hinted that conservative fixes to the healthcare system — such as allowing people to purchase health insurance plans across state lines — would be included in companion legislation. Trump told a group of conservative leaders on Wednesday that he hopes to see the next wave of legislation introduced in the House as early as next week.
