As healthcare plays such a big role in Tennessee’s economy, I was was interested in reading up on how President Donald Trump’s meeting with insurance companies went on Monday.
"We have come up with a solution that's really, really I think very good," Trump said at a meeting of the nation's governors at the White House."Now, I have to tell you, it's an unbelievably complex subject," he added. "Nobody knew health care could be so complicated."
Translated, roughly: Trump didn’t know health care could be so complicated. There is no plan.
But this is the thing that made me laugh. Over at CNN Money — where I guess they assume smarter people read — they have a more in-depth story:
Trump told the CEOs that if the plan doesn't accomplish his goals, he'd let them take the fall."If things don't work out I'm blaming you anyway," he said in jest.
Speaking after the meeting, three CEOs told reporters that they and the president share the goal of serving consumers and making health care more affordable and accessible. They said they plan to work with the administration and lawmakers on health care reform.
"We're very glad to be with him today to hear that message and certainly willing and wanting to witness how this all will transition to a workable plan for the United States," said Joe Swedish, CEO of Anthem, which has said it is evaluating whether it will participate in Obamacare next year.
Translated, roughly: Trump will turn consumer anger on insurance companies when this all blows up. Insurance companies kind of suspect it’s all going to blow up.
But here’s the thing I keep thinking. I loathe Trump, obviously. But he understands the people who voted for him better than anyone. And he knows that people really don’t like health insurance companies.
Health insurance companies and Republicans have all been acting like the solution is to do away with Obamacare and go back to how things were before. No consumer wants that.
And it’s not clear to me if insurance companies realize the barrel Trump has them over. He’s come in as the reformer. If they just want to revert and not reform, they’re going to own this.
Trump’s whole approach so far has been “If you thwart me, I’ll destroy you.” And mostly it hasn’t worked, yet, because he’s trying to destroy things people like — like PBS and drinking water. But who likes insurance companies? Will anyone weep if he goes to war with them?
And, if he does, man, we need to send every Democrat to Fox News to appear on every segment and just say “Single Payer” over and over to put the notion in his head.
