Trump gave a bizarre comment to the New York Times about healthcare in America
(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
In an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday, President Donald Trump offered a bizarre example of the US healthcare system while discussing Republican reform efforts.
During a discussion about the difficulty Republicans are having repealing and replacing Obamacare, Trump addressed the issue of preexisting condition protections.
Here are his comments:
"So preexisting conditions are a tough deal. Because you are basically saying from the moment the insurance, you're 21 years old, you start working and you're paying $12 a year for insurance, and by the time you're 70, you get a nice plan. Here’s something where you walk up and say, 'I want my insurance.' It’s a very tough deal, but it is something that we’re doing a good job of."
The actual cost of health insurance for a 21-year-old person is vastly more expensive.
Using the Healthcare.gov health plan comparison tool, a 21-year-old in Charlotte, North Carolina, making $35,000 annually would have to pay a minimum of $200 a month for the cheapest healthcare plan. Even after a monthly tax credit of $169 under Affordable Care Act provisions, the plan would still cost $31 a month — nearly triple what Trump said insurance costs for the year.
As for Trump's other comment, many 70-year-olds the US are on Medicare, a government-run program that some Democrats want to expand to most people in the US.
Many healthcare experts worry that an amendment from Sen. Ted Cruz to the Senate healthcare bill would allow insurers to get around protections for preexisting conditions for many people or charge more for plans that protect them.
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