Within the first 48 hours of being back in office, Trump has signed several executive orders that threaten the health of millions of Americans.
Amid a flurry of executive orders, some of which were signed live on Inauguration Night TV, the US president issued a series of orders that repeal Biden-era directives on access to health care and low income. Options were expanded for wealthy and middle-class Americans.
The orders are expected to affect medical insurance coverage for more than 20 million people in the United States.
“The previous administration has embedded deeply unpopular, inflationary, illegal and radical practices in every agency and office of the federal government,” Trump said. Official statementIn which several orders related to health are referred to. The statement accused diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies of being a “corrupt” institution for Americans.
Those whose coverage is now considered at risk are about 24 million Americans who bought their own health insurance this year through the Affordable Care Act. The ACA, also known as Obamacare, helped expand Medicaid benefits and provided affordable health insurance to millions of people.
Trump’s actions this week will affect all aspects of the ACA, including eligibility requirements, federal subsidies and enrollment deadlines, which determine when Americans can apply for insurance, repealing the act. Without doing so, that would require action from the US Congress. But the measures are expected to create more barriers and ultimately make health care coverage even less accessible.
In a one-page document published by PoliticsTrump outlined options for cutting spending. The plans include measures that would reduce the amount of money states are given to fund Medicaid and limit health program eligibility based on citizenship status. Each of the options listed involves a reduction in funding and access to health care coverage.
Some of the Biden-era orders that Trump has already rescinded include Executive Order 14009, or the Strengthening Medicaid and Affordable Care Act, which expanded access for Americans and their families, giving more parents with young children broader coverage. Allowed to qualify for coverage. Some estimates suggest that the appeal may result in approx. 25% damage of ACA coverage.
Additionally, Trump rescinded executive orders aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs for people on Medicare and Medicaid, the government health insurance programs that primarily serve older and low-income Americans.
The Biden administration also previously introduced the American Rescue Plan Act, a subsidy program that reduced the cost of health insurance premiums. He broadened the eligibility requirements, bringing them to many of the American middle class.
But the program is set to end at the end of this year. done on the White House website. Free from any mention And Trump has already rescinded EO 14070, which highlighted the ARP Act’s positive effects on access to coverage, including improved marketplace subsidies that lowered premium costs.
Executive Order 14070 also gave states options to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage.
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A weakened ACA has consequences that reach far beyond just the Americans who lose their coverage. The lack of federally funded health care options means that privatized insurers are given more power to control the health care industry, resulting in health care shortages. The remaining insurance options are likely to increase in cost.
“The consequences of more people going uninsured are really significant, not only with higher medical debt and lower health outcomes at the individual level, but also with huge implications for providers,” said Sabrina Corlette, a Research Professor and Co-Director of the Center. said Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University.
Commercial insurance has already proven difficult for millions of people to access, as insured people face nearly as much medical debt as the uninsured. In fact, according to medical billing analysts, people with health insurance may now represent the majority of creditors that American hospitals are struggling to collect.
“Premiums go up for people who have health insurance. For people without health insurance, it’s financially devastating,” Corlett said. “The result is medical debt, garnished wages and liens on people’s homes because they can’t pay their bills.”
