Critics of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, or Obamacare) have openly advocated the full repeal of the legislation since its implementation some years ago. It is no secret that Trump has advocated for a full repeal as well. Given his tendency to renege on his word, however, it remains uncertain whether the president-elect will, in fact, replace the PPACA quite as he has promised. Nonetheless, Trump has vowed time and again to realize several changes that portend sweeping and awful effects for the American public.
Specifically, under Trump’s health policy reform plan entitled “Healthcare Reform to Make America Great Again,” there are three proposed changes to healthcare reform that warrant immediate address. That is because they suffice to prove that Trump’s replacement of the PPACA, at least, in the way he has elaborated it, will doubtless result in failure. Furthermore, Trump has openly promoted these changes throughout the course of his presidential campaign; it is nothing new. These three changes are as follows:
- Granting individuals the freedom to deduct from their federal tax returns the total amount of premium expenses incurred from their individual health plans
- Providing states with block grants for the purpose of financing their respective Medicaid programs
- Granting insurance companies the freedom to engage in the sale of insurance across state boundaries
These changes will have the following unwelcome effects: First, the…