Fox News host says health care for people with pre-existing conditions is a ‘luxury’
The hosts of Trump’s favorite morning show have some bad ideas about health policy.
A host of President Trump’s favorite morning show thinks coverage for preexisting conditions is a “luxury.”
“We are going to stay away from the details right now,” Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade said during a discussion of the Trump/Paul Ryan health care bill on Thursday morning. “Just know this: $8 billion for preexisting conditions. A lot of people focused on that. We can understand that America is getting used to having that luxury.”
Kilmeade is referring to the $8 billion that the American Health Care Act (AHCA) provides for “high risk pools” meant to cover those with pre-existing conditions. This funding, which was tacked onto the bill this week, is House Republicans’ proposed solution for widespread concerns that the legislation will gut coverage for the people with pre-existing health issues who were discriminated against by insurers before reforms under Obamacare.
However, that amount of funding won’t be nearly enough to cover all the people with pre-existing conditions who are currently covered under the Affordable Care Act. In fact, the repeal/replace package that Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) are rushing through Congress will cause millions of people to lose their health insurance next year.
In an interview about his first 100 days, Trump is confused about what the health care bill includes.thinkprogress.org
Kilmeade’s co-host, Steve Doocy, also doesn’t seem concerned with people who may struggle to access health care because of health issues. Instead, Doocy focused on the fact that the legislation amounts to a massive deregulation of the insurance industry and tax cut for the rich.
“The key is getting rid of a lot of the regulations and a lot of the taxes which many small businesses have been burdened with over the last number of years,” Doocy said. “They will be out.”
Kilmeade reportedly has a salary of $200,000, while Doocy’s is more than twice that. Coincidentally, the vast majority of Trumpcare’s benefits are distributed to people with incomes of more than $200,000 annually.
House Republicans are rushing to pass the AHCA even before the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has a chance to assess its impact, which means it’s unclear exactly how many millions of people could lose their coverage or how much it would affect the national budget.
h/t — Media Matters