How Dumb Is He?

President Donald Trump has told advisers he wants to end payments of key Obamacare subsidies, a move that could send the health law's insurance markets into a tailspin, according to several sources familiar with the conversations.

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Trump told aides in a Tuesday Oval Office meeting that he wants to end the payments to insurers because he doesn't gain anything by continuing them, according to a senior White House adviser.

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The payments, estimated at $7 billion for this year, go to insurance companies to reduce deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for low-income consumers — an estimated 7 million people in 2017.

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Many advisers oppose the move because they worry it would backfire politically if people lose their insurance or see huge premium spikes and blame the White House, the sources said. Trump has said that the bold move could force Congressional Democrats to the table to negotiate an Obamacare replacement.

  Politico

I'm not a business person. That might be a tack you'd take in a business negotiation. But it strikes me as political suicide. The Democrats would use it to bash him and the GOP over the head. Nobody really cares about the actual people who would be affected - not him (obviously for the proposition), and not the Democrats who would just see political gold for them in that move.

Any bill would be expected to unwind the health law over at least a year. But defunding the cost-sharing program could destabilize the market immediately.

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Several polls show that the public would blame the administration and the Republican-controlled Congress if the markets collapsed.

Well, what a surprise. How stupid can the man be?

In a statement, the administration said the White House has told Congress it will continue the payments through May but no commitment has been made beyond that.

“No final decisions have been made at this time, and all options are on the table," the statement said.

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Lawyers and other administration officials are trying to thread the needle.

Good luck with that.

Insurers are on the hook under the health law to keep paying even if the federal money stops.

Now THAT will put the kibosh on his idiotic plan.

 ...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.