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In an effort to boost Donald Trump's medical record, J.D. Vance touted his family's first purchase of private insurance under the former president's administration.
But he didn't mention an important fact – it was due to the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
“Under President Donald Trump's leadership, my family had private health insurance for at least the first time, turned off Medicaid and switched to private insurance for the first time,” Vance said during the vice presidential debate earlier this month. he said.
He was referring to his mother, a Vance campaign spokeswoman, who purchased private health insurance through the Obamacare marketplace after overcoming a substance use disorder and making too much money to maintain Medicaid. . said washington post.
But the Republican vice presidential nominee did not mention it in his debate speech. Rather, it incorrectly characterized President Trump as having “worked in a bipartisan manner” to save Obamacare when it was on the brink of repeal.
Trump led the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act when he took office, a move that was widely supported by Republicans at the time.
When that failed and public support for Obamacare surged, his administration began implementing regulatory policies to refine the landmark federal law.
This includes cutting enrollment periods in half, allowing small businesses to purchase cheaper plans with fewer benefits and protections, closing websites for 12 hours every Sunday during open enrollment periods, and These include promoting Obamacare advertising and weakening tax credits for insurance premiums. And so on.
During the Trump administration, enrollment in Obamacare declined nationwide. However, his regulations made the market more attractive to insurance companies, leading to more companies participating.
However, as of November last year, President Trump continued to call on Republicans to repeal Obamacare, saying that Republicans “should never give up” on their efforts to repeal Obamacare.
Despite Trump's historical disdain for the Affordable Care Act, Vance still used the Obama-era law to boost Trump's image.
“His running mate had the nerve to say, “Donald Trump saved the Affordable Care Act.'' I mean, Donald Trump spent his entire presidency trying to save it. , by the way, he couldn't even do it right,” former President Barack Obama said at a campaign event for Harris.
independent person A spokesperson for Vance has been contacted for comment.
