Obamacare Architect: GOP Replacement Plan is in A Death Spiral

President Trump touted the benefits of the GOP’s Obamacare replacement plan on Friday and encouraged members of Congress to pass reform.

“We must act now to save Americans from the imploding Obamacare disaster,” Trump said in a meeting with chairs of key House committees.  Trump said the House plan would end Obamacare tax hikes, eliminate the individual mandate and provide states with flexibility over how Medicaid dollars are spent.

“The plan empowers individual Americans to buy health insurance that is right for them not the plan forced on them by government,” he said.   But Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act, told FOX Business Network’s Charles Payne it isn't Obamacare that's "imploding." Emanuel said Rep. Ryan’s plan “appears to be in a death spiral.”   “You have the Freedom Caucus which has said it doesn’t like Ryan’s plan and you also by the way have every major medical organization voting against Speaker Ryan’s plan,” he said. “Doctors and hospitals are against this plan—it is definitely going down.”

Emanuel described the GOP plan as a “sweet deal” for the healthy and young, but said older Americans would pay the price.

“It’s estimated a household under Representative Ryan’s plan with a head of household who is 55 years and older will pay $7,500 in total health-care costs more under Ryan’s plan than under Obamacare.”   He added, “The 350 billion that Representative Ryan wants to give in tax cuts are to people making $250,000 or more. It is actually going to devastate Medicare and devastate the government’s finances—it is a giveaway to the rich.”

But Payne noted that under Obamacare, premiums and drug prices have risen, while millions have been pushed onto Medicaid.

“And then you have the CEO of Aetna saying that this is in a death spiral so you can resell it if you want to the American public but I think they rejected it on November 8th,” he said.   “Let me readdress your point,” said Emanuel. “I noticed you didn’t mention or address the issue that under President Bush the prices went up much faster, more than double under President Obama.”   “They were promised to go down under President Obama,” said Payne.   “No health care costs have ever gone down,” Emanuel replied, “They have moderated, they increased in line for 5 years with the general inflation which has never happened before in 50 years—so that’s been a big achievement.”   However he said drug prices are one area where Democrats and Republicans can agree.   “We all think that drug prices are too high and they need to be negotiated. The President has agreed with that and this I think is a night us of bipartisan agreement,” he said and added that it’s “a deficiency in this bill.”