Thirteen times at least, according to Kaiser Health News, President Trump has promised a new healthcare plan within “two weeks” or “a very short period of time,” as we discussed in a previous post.
The America-First Healthcare Plan
At last, he has delivered it. Here it is – “The America-First Healthcare Plan,” Executive Order 13951, September 24, 2020:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Purpose. Since January 20, 2017, my Administration has been committed to the goal of bringing great healthcare to the American people and putting patients first. To that end, my Administration has taken monumental steps to improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare in the United States.
(a) My Administration has been committed to restoring choice and control to the American patient.
(b) My Administration has been ceaseless in its efforts to lower costs to make healthcare more affordable for American patients.
(c) My Administration has been dedicated to providing better care for all Americans.
Sec. 2. Policy. It has been and will continue to be the policy of the United States to give Americans seeking healthcare more choice, lower costs, and better care and to ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions can obtain the insurance of their choice at affordable rates.
Sec. 3. Giving Americans More Choice in Healthcare. The Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall maintain and build upon existing actions to expand access to and options for affordable healthcare.
Sec. 4. Lowering Healthcare Costs for Americans. (a) The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall maintain and build upon existing actions to expand access to affordable medicines, including accelerating the approvals of new generic and biosimilar drugs and facilitating the safe importation of affordable prescription drugs from abroad.
(b) The Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall maintain and build upon existing actions to ensure consumers have access to meaningful price and quality information prior to the delivery of care.
Federal Register, September 24, 2020
That’s it — in 491 words. Just in time for the election.
Fiscal Note — How to Pay for Pre-Existing Conditions
Here’s the fiscal note on how to pay for “ensur[ing] that Americans with pre-existing conditions can obtain the insurance of their choice at affordable rates”:
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Who knew it could be so complicated? Who knew it could be so easily fixed by simply signing an Executive Order?
Additional References:
- Kaiser Health News, “Back to the Future: Trump’s History of Promising a Health Plan That Never Comes,” by Victoria Knight, August 13, 2020
- Washington Post, “After years of promising his own health care plan, Trump settles for rebranding rather than repealing Obamacare,” by Toluse Olorunnipa, September 24, 2020
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Image Credit
Title: Health Secretary Alex Azar with President Trump and Vice-President Pence, February 2018
URL: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Photo-1-1920×720.jpg
Updated October 23, 2020
Fixing U.S. Healthcare 
