Trump: Executive Order Will Deliver 'Great, Great, Insurance'

He plans to loosen ObamaCare restrictions
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 11, 2017 12:38 AM CDT
Trump Plans Executive Order to Loosen ObamaCare Rues
President Trump speaks during a meeting with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"Since Congress can't get its act together on HealthCare, I will be using the power of the pen to give great HealthCare to many people - FAST," President Trump tweeted Tuesday. Trump says he will probably sign an executive order this week that will loosen restrictions on buying insurance policies across state lines, allowing people to buy "great, great insurance," CNN reports. "They will be able to buy, they'll be able to cross state lines, and they will get great competitive health care and it will cost the United States nothing," Trump said from the Oval Office ahead of a meeting with Henry Kissinger. "With Congress the way it is, I decided to take it upon myself."

Democrats are likely to go to court to challenge Trump's authority to issue the order, which will allow trade associations to offer their own "association health plans" that could be sold across states and wouldn't have to adhere to all ObamaCare requirements, reports Reuters. Supporters say the plan would boost competition and allow people to buy more affordable plans, though critics warn that it would draw younger, healthier consumers away from ObamaCare markets, raising costs for those left behind. The move "would deteriorate the risk pool, lead to increased premiums, more instability, and potentially make insurers have to make decisions on whether they're going to continue to participate," Cori Uccello at the American Academy of Actuaries tells Politico. (More ObamaCare stories.)

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