Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom Hopes Donald Trump’s Vow to End Obamacare Was Not an Empty Campaign Promise
ST. PAUL, Minn.—Health care was one of the major issues for this historic election, and the matter was undoubtedly considered as voters elected Donald Trump as the nation’s next president. Today, Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF, www.cchfreedom.org) is releasing the following statement.
“Donald Trump has said he wants to repeal Obamacare, and we hope that wasn’t an empty campaign promise,” said Twila Brase, president and co-founder of CCHF. “It will take more than a promise to make American health care great again and to restore health care freedom to patients and doctors. Republicans need to advance visionary ideas for health care, ideas that are bigger than buying across state lines; ideas that put patients and doctors back together again without the costly interference and intrusions of profiteering outsiders. The high cost of health care comes primarily from the middlemen, including managed care and government.
Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom hopes that Mr. Trump will take on health care positions that are truly transformational and will lead the country back to affordable health care by moving to truly affordable catastrophic coverage options, encouraging cash payments for care, returning state and local control to health care, and eliminating third party interference in medical decisions, thereby bringing the cost of medical services and health insurance down to levels Americans can afford. We hope his vision goes beyond the status quo of health care today.
“Truly visionary ideas will release people from the shackles of managed care so they can enjoy affordable private insurance for their entire lives, rather than be trapped in government health care programs, political budget decisions, and costly bureaucratic mandates. Now is the time for President-Elect Trump to give health care back to patients and doctors at an affordable level where nothing gets in the way of real care. Donald Trump says he can build big things without letting the ‘big guys’ get in the way. If so, he can begin to drive the country’s health care system in a different direction that will work for everyone.”
For more than five years since the signing of the Affordable Care Act, CCHF, a national patient- centered health freedom organization existing to protect health care choices, individualized patient care, and medical and genetic privacy rights, has been encouraging Americans to “Refuse to Enroll” in Obamacare coverage, and continues to do so now during the current open enrollment period. Instead, CCHF provides several alternatives to a failing government health care system:
- Claim an exemption. According to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Americans cannot be forced to buy health insurance, but they can be taxed for being uninsured—unless they claim an exemption. Individuals should check out the nine exemptions and the 14 hardship waivers, especially numbers 13 and 14. (Learn more about exemptions here.)
- Join a health sharing ministry. One of the Obamacare exemptions, health sharing ministries, bring members together to share each other’s medical expenses. Monthly costs for some of the most popular, such as Samaritan Ministries, Medi-Share and Liberty Health Share, range from less than $200 for a single individual to around $500 for a family.
- Find a cash-based practice. Many insured Americans will never reach their deductibles, and more physicians are operating practices free from the high costs of government regulations and managed care controls. These third party-free practices often offer high-touch, timely, confidential, patient-centered care at affordable prices. To find cash-based practices near you, check out CCHF’s The Wedge of Health Freedom at www.JointheWedge.com. The Wedge adds practices each week and now includes about 175 practices in 40 states. Find Wedge practices on the “map of freedom,” which displays the locations of physicians and other health care professionals around the country.
- Enroll in private insurance outside of the government exchanges, in particular a self-funded employer’s plan, which may be exempt from some of the law’s requirements and less costly. Also, consider separate critical care, cancer or accident indemnity policies.
- Pay the penalty tax for going uninsured. In 2016, the tax, pro-rated according to months uninsured, is 2.5 percent of modified adjusted gross income, or $695, whichever is greater. In 2017, the rate remains at 2.5 percent but the flat fee will be adjusted for inflation.
For more information about CCHF, visit its web site at www.cchfreedom.org, its Facebook page or its Twitter feed @CCHFreedom. For more about The Wedge of Health Freedom, visit www.JointheWedge.com, The Wedge Facebook page or follow The Wedge on Twitter.