Trump Says “Insurance for Everybody,” But Doesn’t Specify How

The Republican Administration has begun the repeal process for the ACA - but
there's no clear plan for what will replace it.
Image: Shutterstock

The process of repealing of the Affordable Care Act has already begun. This comes as a surprise to no one, since Republicans have been gunning for the law since 2010 and Trump promised to repeal it if during his campaign. But the fact remains that there doesn’t seem to be an actual plan for replacing it in the works.

Trump, speaking on the subject a week before his inauguration, vowed to replace the ACA with a program that would provide “insurance for everybody,” but was quick to point out that he does not want a single-payer system, which is a system where healthcare is covered by one payer. In almost every case around the world, that payer is the government. That has never been the case in the United States, where private health insurance companies form a very powerful lobby; however some politicians have voiced concerns that the U.S. is headed in that direction, an idea to which a number of Americans are quite resistant.

Healthcare for everyone sounds fantastic, but unfortunately the current administration has not provided any details about what it would involve—other than to say that it will work and work well, and that it will pass without much difficulty. While both House speaker Paul D. Ryan and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell are rumored to support the plan, it would still have to pass through Congress before becoming law—which is not a sure thing, even in a Republican-controlled Congress and Presidency.

Without an actual plan to look at, many Americans are concerned about the status of their health insurance. The Affordable Care Act expanded coverage to about 20 million Americans, who stand to lose that coverage if the ACA is repealed without being replaced. And while Trump has promised that everyone will have insurance, many are scratching their heads about how that will work in a country that has so far been resistant to exactly that idea.