Trump says the White House is working on a 'great health care plan' but his administration is not drafting legislation
Even as President Donald Trump promises his administration is putting together "a great health care plan," two senior White House officials said Wednesday no one is crafting an actual health care bill.
Instead, these officials say, the administration is drawing up a set of "high-level principles" outlining the president’s vision -- something that could form the basis for future legislation.
The process is being headed up by the president’s Domestic Policy Council, with input from the Department of Health and Human Services among other executive offices, according to officials.
A draft of the principles is circulating within the administration, according to one official, who could not offer a timeline of when it might be made public because the process is in the early stages.
One official said the principles outlined will be similar to past proposals supported by the White House on past failed attempts to reform the health care system, saying it will seek to address affordability, premiums, and protections for pre-existing condition protections.
While the president continues to emphasize the importance of pre-existing condition protections, the Republicans' last heath care proposal, supported by the president, undermined such protections.
The president outlined his vision Tuesday night for Republicans to campaign on his plan in the 2020 election and then vote on it right after the election, assuming Republicans hold the White House and Senate, while also regaining the House.
But Republicans will need more than just a set of principles ready to go on Election Day if they intend to carry through the president’s plan to make health care their first legislative battle in a new session of Congress.
