Aug 5, 2019 - Health

President Trump may announce health plan in September

President Trump. Photo: Andrew Spear/Getty Images

President Trump. Photo: Andrew Spear/Getty Images

The Trump administration is eyeing a September rollout of its health care plan, although the plan hasn't been finalized and some administration officials worry it could open up the president to attacks from Democrats, the WSJ reports.

State of play: The White House is considering a September speech that would seek to provide an alternative to Medicare for All and show that the administration has a plan in case the ACA is killed in court, which it supports. It's still unclear how specific the administration's plan would be.

The big picture: So far, Democrats have robustly debated health care. The GOP has primarily responded with accusations of socialism.

  • Polling shows that the administration is rightly concerned about Democrats owning the issue, and that will not change if Trump's new health care plan turns out to be as unpopular as the GOP's repeal and replace efforts in 2017.

Details: The elements of the plan reported by the WSJ include recycled GOP health policy ideas, like instituting high-risk pools and encouraging the sale of insurance across state lines, and goals like covering people with pre-existing conditions.

My thought bubble: My brain is already numb at the thought of doing 2017 all over again.

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