President Donald Trump doesn't plan to put healthcare reform on the backburner, according to a Politico report.
The report cites an excerpt of an interview the president did with Fox Business Network, in which he expressed his desire to pass an ACA replacement bill before dealing with tax reform.
"We're going to have a phenomenal tax reform, but I have to do healthcare first," President Trump said. "I want to do it first to really do it right."
President Trump did not offer a strict timeline regarding passing a healthcare bill or tax reform, reports Politico. But he said: "Healthcare's gonna happen at some point" and that passing an ACA replacement bill could help pave the way for tax reform, the report states.
"Now, if it doesn't happen fast enough, I'll start the taxes," President Trump said. "But the tax reform and the tax cuts are better if I can do healthcare first."
The president's remarks come weeks after the GOP's American Health Care Act was pulled from the House floor due to lack of support. A finalized deal to repeal and replace the ACA was not reached in the House before lawmakers departed for a recess. Still, there are various ways President Trump can work to dismantle the ACA without Congress, reports The New York Times.
For instance, the AHCA would have eliminated the ACA's individual mandate, or requirement for American adults to have insurance. President Trump cannot get rid of the mandate on his own, but the Internal Revenue Service previously said it had stopped rejecting tax returns that failed to indicate a person's insurance status, according to the report. Additionally, NYT points out, President Trump's administration could further weaken enforcement of the mandate.
The ACA has also provided cost-sharing subsidies to insurers to help pay for providing discounted deductibles to low-income ACA health plan enrollees. President Trump could essentially eliminate the subsidies by stopping the appeal of a lawsuit over whether the subsidies are legal, reports NYT.
For more on this story, including other measures President Trump could take without Congress, click here.
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