President Trump criticized Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and misrepresented the latest attempt by Republicans in the Senate to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on Twitter Saturday morning.
Trump claimed, in a tweetstorm mostly about health care, that premiums in Arizona and Alaska had skyrocketed, 116 and 200 plus percent, respectively.
Arizona had a 116% increase in ObamaCare premiums last year, with deductibles very high. Chuck Schumer sold John McCain a bill of goods. Sad
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
Alaska had a 200% plus increase in premiums under ObamaCare, worst in the country. Deductibles high, people angry! Lisa M comes through.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
First and most importantly, that is misleading. While topline premiums in both states did rise 116 and 200 plus percent, those numbers don’t take into account the nearly 80 percent of people who get subsidies that offset the costs of their premiums.
In Alaska, for example, the average premium increase has been closer to 25 percent.
Secondly, while premiums have certainly gone up, Trump conveniently ignores the fact that this is, in many ways, his fault.
Insurers rely on predictions about the market in order to set their rates, and when insurers recently had to make their rate requests for 2018, nearly all insurers who requested increases said it was because of the way Trump has stoked uncertainty in the market.
In the same Saturday morning tweetstorm, Trump also praised the repeal bill, spearheaded by Sens. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), saying the way the bill would block grant health care funding to states “is a good thing to do.”
Large Block Grants to States is a good thing to do. Better control & management. Great for Arizona. McCain let his best friend L.G. down!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
“Better control & management,” Trump said. “Great for Arizona.”
But almost every analysis of the bill says otherwise.
Avalere: Alaska and Arizona are among the hardest hit states under #GrahamCassidy. pic.twitter.com/VGrUZQEAaU
— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) September 20, 2017
According to nonpartisan health care consulting firm Avalere, Arizona and Alaska would be among the states hit the hardest by funding cuts. The bill, if it were signed into law, could also result in an additional 32 million people without insurance by 2026 and every state would suffer under the nearly $4 trillion funding cuts over the next two decades.
Trump’s tweets Saturday morning focused on Arizona and Alaska because McCain and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are considered two key swing votes on the bill.
On Friday afternoon, McCain announced he would not be voting for the repeal and replace bill, spearheaded by Graham and Cassidy, because he said he wanted the Senate to handle health care legislation under regular order, and not the currently expedited reconciliation process.
🚨🚨🚨🚨McCAIN NO🚨🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/c8AmD0ncKf
— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) September 22, 2017
“John McCain never had any intention of voting for this Bill, which his Governor loves. He campaigned on Repeal & Replace,” Trump tweeted Saturday. “Let Arizona down!”
John McCain never had any intention of voting for this Bill, which his Governor loves. He campaigned on Repeal & Replace. Let Arizona down!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
McCain is the second Republican to say he will not vote for the bill, making its passage unlikely but not impossible. The first was Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who Trump also tweeted about Saturday, saying, “I know Rand Paul and I think he may find a way to get there for the good of the Party!”
I know Rand Paul and I think he may find a way to get there for the good of the Party!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
Many congressional watchers agree with the president. Paul has said he won’t vote for Graham-Cassidy because it doesn’t go far enough, but Paul has voted for less radical repeal bills in the past, leading some to believe Paul’s vote may still be in play.