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GOP Rep: Trump Should Kill Lawmakers’ Subsidies If He Wants To Kill Obamacare

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Henry Rodgers
July 31, 2017 12:06 PM ET

Florida Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis believes President Donald Trump should kill the Obamacare rule that gives lawmakers and their aides access to insurance on the small business marketplace.

DeSantis comments came after Trump threatened to cut off funding for Obamacare subsidy payments in a tweet Monday morning as he continues to push Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare. The subsidy refers to the section of Obamacare that allows members of Congress to use the employer contribution subsidy when obtaining insurance.

“I think the president would be absolutely within his rights to cancel the Obama rule that conferred this subsidy on Congress,” DeSantis said Monday on Fox News.

The Florida congressman said he does not accept the subsidy and believes it is wrong and unlawful.

“I decline the subsidy,” DeSantis said. “It’s not right, and I don’t take it because I don’t think it’s lawful.”

WATCH:

The Obama administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress wanted to sell the message when they passed Obamacare that insurance coverage was important for all people to have. Employer contributions cover around 72 percent of the plans legislators currently choose to purchase. (RELATED: ‘If Obamacare Is Hurting People … Why Shouldn’t It Hurt The Insurance Companies’)

The problem was that state exchanges were set up for people whose employers don’t offer insurance coverage and therefore have to purchase coverage on their own. If members of Congress and their staff lost the employer contribution to their health plans, their premiums would shoot up drastically.
DeSantis argued that Obamacare is clearly harming people. He also made a point that members of Congress should pay the same price for health care as everyone else.
“If Obamacare is hurting people, and it is, why shouldn’t it hurt the insurance companies and why should Congress not be paying what public pays?” he asked.

DeSantis still has hope for the GOP’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.

“I think if he [Trump] moves swiftly on it, I think you’d see a lot of these members and senators, they would want to work to repeal Obamacare very quickly,” DeSantis said.

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