Thursday, March 28, 2024

Senate Democrats Vote Unanimously to Restrict Americans’ Healthcare Choices

Yesterday every single Senate Democrat voted to abolish new low-cost health insurance plans made available by the Trump administration. While the joint resolution narrowly failed in a 50-50 vote, it was revealing to see how Democrats from Chuck Schumer to Joe Manchin were so mortified by the mere existence of affordable insurance policies that they fought tooth-and-nail to make them illegal. It is more bewildering coming from the party that claims to be for “choice.”

If the Left wants to outlaw something as innocuous as a type of health insurance plan, they will really ban anything these days!

The Democrats’ joint resolution would have re-enforced the Obama-era crackdown on short-term limited-duration health care plans. Thanks to President Trump, Americans now have the option to purchase and renew these plans, which are not subject to costly Obamacare regulations, for a period of up to 3 years. As I previously wrote:

The anchor of President Trump’s health care executive order was a provision allowing consumers to purchase (and renew) short-term limited-duration health insurance (STLD) plans. These plans provide consumers with an affordable health care option because they are exempt from Obamacare’s laundry-list of regulations and coverage requirements. It is because these plans are so affordable that the Obama administration essentially banned them from existence. They knew if STLD plans were on the market, many consumers would choose this option instead of an overpriced Obamacare policy.

President Obama nearly outlawed STLD insurance by mandating that it could only be offered for periods of less than three months and that STLD plans could not be renewed even if you liked your plan. Thankfully, President Trump’s health care executive order called on HHS to repeal the 3-month rule and give consumers the option to renew an STLD plan.

The expansion of the STLD health insurance market under President Trump is playing a critical role in bringing new, affordable health insurance options to market. The Democrats’ vote was tantamount to shooting at the lifeboats rescuing consumers like me from overpriced Obamacare plans.

(Side note: If Obamacare plans were as awesome as Democrats say, why are they desperately afraid of competition — to the point where it must be banned?)

Lastly, let’s remember that if Senate Republicans had cast a similar vote, Democrats and their media allies would be furiously claiming “Republicans kicked millions off health care!”

Senate Democrats should feel embarrassed for demanding that Americans buy into their one-size-fits-all approach to health care. If Americans like their STLD insurance plan, they should be able to keep it.

Photo credit: Senate Democrats via Flickr, CC BY 2.0

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