How Trump gave Democrats the 'fight' they’re 'desperate to have': analyst

30 November 2023

Obamacare has enjoyed record enrollment in 2023, but according to Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) reporting on September 7, enrollment numbers may be even higher in 2024. Moreover, public approval for Obamacare, according to Statista, reached 62 percent in April.

Many Republicans are no longer railing against the Affordable Care Act of 2010, a.k.a. Obamacare — as they realize it now has more support than opposition and isn't a winning issue for them. But former President Donald Trump, in a November 25 post on his Truth Social platform, declared that he is "seriously looking at alternatives" to Obamacare. Republicans, Trump complained, failed to "terminate" the ACA in 2017 but "should never give up."

In an opinion column posted on November 30, MSNBC's Steve Benen argues that Trump's anti-Obamacare posts are giving Democrats a major weapon to use against Republicans in 2024.

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Well aware of their "public advantage on healthcare," Democrats, Benen observes, have "pounced" on Trump's anti-ACA posts — while some Republicans would rather avoid the subject.

"The Republicans' 2017 effort to tear down the ACA was a disaster for the party, which Democrats exploited to help take back the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections," Benen notes. "Democrats would love to have that fight again in 2024, and it stands to reason that GOP officials want the opposite."

Benen adds, "As for whether Trump has come up with credible actual health care ideas for the first time, the party should probably keep its expectations low. A Republican close to the Trump campaign told Politico, 'There's not a real there there. No one's working on this.'"

In a report published by Axios on November 30, some of the Republicans interviewed expressed no interest in overturning the ACA, while others did. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who voted against overturning it in 2017, told Axios she is open to ACA "improvements" but wants to keep the law — while far-right Rep. Bob Good (R-Virginia) favors overturning it.

Benen writes, "In other words, the stage is set for a fight Democrats are desperate to have. Up until very recently, few expected the 2024 cycle to focus on health care. That's changed in a hurry."

Read Steve Benen's full MSNBC column at this link.

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