Trump Has Signed an Executive Order to Move His Own Health Care Plan Forward

Less than a month after the official end of the Graham-Cassidy repeal bill, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on health care on Thursday, The New York Times reports. The executive order includes a layout for less comprehensive plans available through small employers and an increase in short-term medical coverage. These cheaper plans would not cover benefits such as maternity and newborn care and prescription drugs.

Trump’s ideas likely won’t take effect until federal agencies create regulations responding to them, and because of how long this may take, the executive order is expected not to affect insurance coverage until 2019.

At a White House ceremony honoring the signing, Trump said, “With these actions, we are moving toward lower costs and more options in the health care market, and taking crucial steps toward saving the American people from the nightmare of Obamacare. This is going to be something that millions and millions of people will be signing up for, and they’re going to be very happy.”

Trump’s new vision for health care reform seems to have split the opinions of Congress members, including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. The Times reports that while McConnell sees the new plan as an opportunity to offer “more affordable health insurance options,” Schumer believes that Trump is “using a wrecking ball to single-handedly rip apart our health care system.”

You can also count doctors and state insurance regulators among those unhappy with the proposed changes. Trump’s potential plan could lead to more expensive yet not as helpful insurance, especially for sick people. According to The Washington Post, critical policy experts believe that because young people will choose cheaper association health plans, prices for older, sicker people could drastically rise.

Although Trump’s administration hasn’t made much success in solidifying a health care plan before, this move seems that it will definitely cause some change in the country soon.