Questions for President Trump’s meeting with health plans this week
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) sent President Donald J. Trump a set of 15 questions to ask the leadership of health plan companies, urging him to directly challenge them on the structure, costs, and incentives driving America’s health care cost crisis.
The questions, sent Tuesday, January 6th, confront the litany of expensive Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates and restrictions that are key to lowering health care costs, but ignored by Congress.
“Americans are paying more every year while receiving less care,” said Twila Brase, RN, PHN, Co-founder and President of CCHF. “These questions expose how the Affordable Care Act added costs, limited choices, and consolidated the market, making health insurance unaffordable.”
The 15 questions address:
- ACA mandates that eliminated catastrophic coverage and consolidated market power
- The reported 10-year, trillion-dollar windfall to health plans
- Higher premiums despite increased out-of-pocket costs for medical care
- Third-party control of treatment and pricing decisions
- Major medical insurance, which is currently prohibited, as an affordable option
CCHF’s questions also highlight federally documented rationing in Medicare Advantage, health plan conflicts of interest regarding reducing premiums, and the erosion of medical decision-making authority away from patients and physicians.
“President Trump says health care dollars should go directly to patients,” Brase said. “These questions challenge health plans to explain whether they support that goal and how they would help President Trump facilitate its implementation.”
CCHF urged the President to use its questions to elicit transparency, accountability, and commitment to structural reform as health care costs continue to rise for working families, senior citizens, and taxpayers.
The list of 15 Questions Trump Should Ask Health Plan Companies is available to view here.
UPDATED LIST OF 15 QUESTIONS: View the updated list sent Thursday, January 15th, which includes endnotes here.
For more information or to schedule an interview with Twila Brase, contact Alexandra de Scheel at media@cchfreedom.org.
