Gov. Ron DeSantis, during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” as he runs for president, vowed to release a plan in the spring to replace the health-care law better known as Obamacare. But Driskell, D-Tampa, said DeSantis’ comment is just something Republicans say for political reasons.
“I know that is a Fox News talking point, to talk about repealing Obamacare. But they have failed every time that they have tried this in the courts,” Driskell said Monday during a conference call with reporters. “So, this lets you know that this is a governor who’s out of fresh ideas. He keeps floating failed ideas, trying to get attention to breathe some life into his presidential campaign.”
Driskell said Florida, by far, leads the nation in people who get health insurance through a marketplace created in the law, which passed under former Democratic President Barack Obama.
“If Republicans want to threaten again to take away health care from Americans, you know what, I’m gonna get out of the way,” Driskell said. “I’m just going to let them do it, and we’ll see how that goes for him. It’s a wildly popular program, particularly with people in his state. And it is disingenuous for him to make some comments knowing that it would hurt Floridians potentially the most.”
DeSantis addressed the issue Sunday as former President Donald Trump, well ahead in the Republican presidential primary, said he was “seriously looking at alternatives” in a quest to replace the Affordable Care Act. DeSantis said Trump failed to deliver on a promise to replace Obamacare while in the White House.
Speaking with NBC’s Kristen Welker, DeSantis said any plan to “supersede Obamacare” must lower prices and ensure people with pre-existing conditions remain protected.
“We’re going to look at the big institutions that are causing prices to be high: big pharma, big insurance and big government,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said coverage under his proposal will be “different and better” at the “lowest possible price.” When pressed for specifics, he said it would include “more transparency, more consumer choice, more affordable options, less red tape, less bureaucracy weighing everybody down.”
This article appears in Dec 7-13, 2023.