Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
At Debate, Clinton And Trump Stay The Course On Health Care Stances
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump sparred over ObamaCare at the presidential debate聽Sunday聽night, with Trump calling to repeal it entirely and Clinton acknowledging flaws but calling for improvements.聽Trump, the GOP nominee, and other Republicans have put a focus on premium hikes, and Trump pointed to them as evidence of the need to repeal the law.聽Clinton, the Democratic nominee, agreed that premiums and healthcare costs in general are a problem but called for going forward, not starting over. (Sullivan, 10/9)
The presidential candidates Sunday night discussed the Affordable Care Act at the second of three debates between them by sticking with their usual statements. The first audience question at the town hall style debate was about rising health insurance premiums, deductibles and copays as well as increasing prescription drug prices. The questioner asked what the candidates would do to make healthcare more affordable. (Muchmore, 10/9)
Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Affordable Care Act is a disaster, and did so again Sunday, noting that Americans鈥 monthly insurance premiums are rising by 鈥渁stronomical鈥 amounts. 鈥淵our聽health insurance, you鈥檙e health care, going up by numbers that are astronomical 鈥斅68%, 59%, 71%,鈥 he said. This is a major exaggeration. (Levey and Mascaro, 10/9)
Trump vastly exaggerates the cost of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. The cost of the coverage expansion in Obama's health care law is nowhere near what the government spends on Medicare and Medicaid, for example. (10/9)
It's Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 鈥 not Clinton 鈥 who supports a Canada-style government-run health care system. While Clinton's health care proposals would expand the government's role in the health care system, she's not talking about dismantling the current system, which is a hybrid of employer-sponsored coverage, government programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and individually purchased insurance. (10/9)
Congressional Republicans have promised their replacement plan for Obama's health care law would provide coverage for the uninsured, but they have not provided enough detail to allow a rigorous comparison. A complete repeal of the health care law would wipe the slate clean, and lawmakers would have to start over. (10/9)
Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed over the past week that Bill Clinton 鈥渢orched鈥 the Affordable Care Act when the former president brought up the health law during a campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Michigan on Monday. Trump was asked about his comments again聽again during Sunday鈥檚 debate.聽His claims are,聽at best, misleading.聽The former president did note that some people are still聽struggling to afford healthcare, despite the 2010 law, often called Obamacare. (Levey, 10/10)