President Trump said Friday that congressional Democrats would be “smart” to negotiate with him on a new health care plan now that his administration is ending Obamacare’s government subsidies for insurance companies.
“If the Democrats were smart, what they’d do is come and negotiate something where people could really get the kind of health care that they deserve,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “The Democrats should come to me; I would even go to them. Because I’m only interested in one thing: getting great health care for this country.”
The administration announced Thursday night it is ending the subsidies, after a federal court ruled that they are illegal. Democrats accuse Mr. Trump of trying to kill Obamacare, but the president said the subsidies mainly benefited the insurance companies instead of consumers.
“The subsidy is really a subsidy to the insurance company,” he said. “That’s not going to people; that’s making the insurance companies rich. They’re making a fortune by getting that kind of money. That money is going to insurance companies to lift up their stock price, and that’s not what I’m about.”
He added, “Take a look at who those insurance companies support, and I guarantee you one thing: It’s not Donald Trump.”
Mr. Trump said if Democratic leaders will come to the White House, “we’ll negotiate some deal that’s good for everybody. That’s what I’d like.”
“But they’re always a block vote against everything. They’re like obstructionists,” he said. “If they came over, maybe we could make a deal.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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