Trump, Dayton agree: Affordable Care Act is Not Affordable

Donald Trump; Mark Dayton

The Democrat Governor of Minnesota said “The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is no longer affordable!” – And, it is lousy healthcare. ~ @realDonaldTrump

St. Paul, MN- President-elect Donald J. Trump continued to use Twitter to encourage the newly convened GOP controlled congress to make Obamacare a top priority this session.  In a series of tweets, Trump used Arizona and Minnesota premium increases as examples of a “failed ObamaCare disaster,” including reminding his followers that Minnesota Governor Dayton said the Affordable Care Act “was no longer affordable.”

The President-elect was quoting Dayton’s statements from a press conference held in October 2016.  

The Minnesota state legislature, now controlled by the republicans, opened the 2017 session on Jan. 3, 2017.  Dayton and the legislative leadership have made MNSure, Minnesota’s version of the ACA, a priority for this session.  The Duluth News Tribune reported:

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton said he will include in his budget proposal a plan in which some families could save nearly $600 a month in insurance premiums via an instant rebate.
“I am calling on the Legislature this week to pass the bill I proposed,” Dayton said of the measure he first suggested in October, when it became known that some individual insurance policy premiums would rise 67 percent.

However, GOP members believe that there needs to be more than just a “quick fix” to the premium increases; instead proposing major changes to the program.  Both House Speaker Kurt Daudt and Senate Majority Leader Paul Galzelka (R-Nisswa) said that they hope for “key reforms” to the floundering MNSure program:

“I want to make sure some of the key reforms get done,” Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, said.
Daudt said he expects the House to pass a short-term bill next week that would provide relief to Minnesotans affected by soaring premium prices.
“That’s our hope, if that can contain some long-term reforms, great,” Daudt. “If not, we will be passing another long-term reform bill, which will hopefully reshape that individual marketplace and provide the stability it’s going to need going into Jan. 1 of 2018.”  ~ Duluth News Tribune

The leaders met with Governor Dayton on Tuesday to begin the healthcare reform discussions.

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Updated 01/04/2017 5:50pm

Andrea Mayer-Bruestle

Andrea Mayer-Bruestle is a former writer for Alpha News.