Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Donald Trump claims Republicans 'essentially repealed Obamacare' with tax bill

The President says he will replace it with 'something much better'

Emily Shugerman
New York
Wednesday 20 December 2017 13:07 EST
Comments
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, right, listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, right, listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

US President Donald Trump has claimed his party "essentially repealed Obamacare" by passing a tax bill that rescinds a key component of his predecessor's health care legislation.

The Republican tax bill repeals the health insurance mandate that forms the core of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Mr Trump claimed the repeal would cripple Obamacare – something he and his party have long promised to do.

“When the individual mandate is being repealed that means Obamacare is being repealed," Mr Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting. "...We have essentially repealed Obamacare and we will come up with something much better.”

The individual mandate requires all Americans to have health care coverage, or pay a penalty fee. The mandate encourages healthy people to buy insurance, which helps to keep premiums lower.

Without the individual mandate, the number of uninsured Americans would increase by 4m in 2019 and 13m in 2027, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Premiums are also expected to increase by about 10 per cent.

The Republican tax bill repealing the mandate passed both the House and Senate earlier this week. It returned to a final vote in the House on Wednesday, after the Senate made several minor, last-minute adjustments. The bill now goes to Mr Trump to be signed.

The bill's passage is expected to be the first major legislative achievement of the Trump administration. It will also be a welcome win for Republicans in Congress, who tried and failed to repeal Obamacare several times this summer.

Mr Trump, however, claimed he did not play up the mandate repeal until now, for fear that it would be misrepresented by the media.

“Now that it’s approved, I can say that," he said on Wednesday.

"Kill the bill, don't kill us": Protestors shout over Senate passage of tax bill

The Republican tax bill does not fully repeal Obamacare. The Obama-era Medicaid expansion will stay in place, as will protections for women, people with pre-existing conditions, and other vulnerable populations.

Americans will also still be able to buy health insurance through the ACA exchanges – though approximately 4.5m fewer people did so this year than last. This year's exchanges offered fewer options and higher premiums than in the past, and the Trump administration slashed the amount of time Americans had to enroll.

In a statement celebrating the passage of the tax bill, Mr Trump lauded the "great spirit of optimism sweeping across our land".

"Americans can once again rest assured that our brightest days are still to come," he said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in