The president said he “cannot and will not” back down from his call to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, saying the president “believes that this is more than just an Obamacare plan.”
“If we’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare, we’re not going to go back to a system where people can’t get health insurance, where people cannot get insurance,” Trump said in a statement.
“We’re going back to the great American system of individual freedom and choice.”
The president said that, while the ACA has its flaws, it has been an “enormous success” for the U.S. and that it is “the only country on Earth” with universal coverage and no co-pays.
He also said that his plan will provide insurance for people with pre-existing conditions, and that people who lose coverage from Obamacare will have to buy their own health insurance or pay a penalty to insurers.
“We are going to make health care affordable, secure and accessible for every American,” Trump told reporters, adding that the plan will include an expansion of Medicaid to cover millions of Americans.
“It’s not going away.”
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said the administration does not comment on the specifics of a proposed legislation.