Trump delivers remarks on health coverage choices for small businesses – 06/14/2019
Table of Contents
- Thank you thank you Wow [Applause] [Music] that is very very nice please you must...
- Of health care for the American people we took swift action to open short-term...
- You very much and we're now working with Congress to pass legislation that ends...
- Treatment that other employer provided health plans have always enjoyed there...
- Including cancer and after the Obama ruling we had to stop all reimbursements...
- Will never let that happen we will never be a socialist country...
00:29
thank you thank you
Wow
[Applause]
[Music]
that is very very nice please you must
like what I'm about to say I think yeah
we all like what we're about to say we
work very hard at it and thank you all
for joining us on this magnificent day
in the Rose Garden special place we're
01:30
here to announce the latest historic
action that were taken to help millions
of Americans receive high quality and
very affordable health care something so
important and we've been working on it
long and hard
a certain group right in these first few
rows they've been working very long and
very hard to I want to thank you
we're delighted to be joined today by
Vice President Mike Pence Mike thank you
very much in addition I want to express
02:04
my gratitude to Secretary Stephen
minuchin Steve thank you very much Alex
Acosta secretary thank you a man who has
been working very hard for this day
secretary Alex a czar thank you Alex and
also with us our Acting Administrator of
the Small Business Administration Chris
02:36
Pilkington and whisker is Chris good
Chris hi congratulations by the way
congratulations you're liking it I hope
you like it it huh I hear you are and
treasurer of the United States Jovita
Carranza thank you Joe visa
and I want to extend a special welcome
to the many small business owners who
are here we have a lot of them in the in
our midst and thank you very much this
is a big advantage for you and something
where you can take care a lot of a lot
03:11
of great people are gonna be taken care
of so thank you all for being here
thank you very much small business
optimism is soaring in our very booming
and big economy and today we give you
even more reason for your confidence in
the future two years ago in October 2017
I signed an executive order to increase
health care choice and competition all
across our nation since that time my
administration has worked tirelessly to
expand options and drive down the cost
03:41
of health care for the American people
we took swift action to open short-term
health plans and Association health
plans to millions and millions of
Americans many of these options are
already reducing the cost of health
insurance premiums by up to 60% and
really more than that we also have
launched a new initiative to bring down
the price of prescription drugs we are
holding a big pharma accountable and I
04:12
must say Big Pharma has also been
working with us to try and get prices
down and if we had support with the
Democrats I must say we could get it
down even more we've reduced prices now
by a quite a bit and this year is the
first year Alex Acosta right in 54 years
53 years that drug prices have come down
and I want to congratulate you and all
the people that have worked so hard with
you that's really an incredible first
04:43
year and we could get him down a lot
more if we had a little support in
Congress and I think we'll get that
support I think that has to be that has
to be a joint if that's not if that's
not going to be bilateral we're going to
get that done and I think we're gonna
get it done quickly we're gonna get a
lot of support I've spoken to Democrats
and they are in support of it we have to
see if we can actually
get them to raise their hand if they do
that we're gonna see some tremendous
cuts in drug prices so thank you very
much Alex
05:14
we've asked Congress to support a new
research initiative to find a
breakthrough cure for childhood cancers
and we begin a public health campaign to
eradicate AIDS in America once and for
all and that's really taking place like
nobody would believe we're looking at a
ten-year plan and at the end of ten
years were going to be in very good
shape who would have thought that was
possible even just a short time ago and
we're making dramatic strides in
combating the opioid epidemic we have it
05:45
down by a period of almost a number of
almost 17 percent this year and when I
heard it I thought they made a mistake I
said you are not real that's not a real
number
and it is very much a real number so
Kellyanne and all of the people that
have worked and worked on that that's a
tremendous achievement and we've worked
with the medical profession and with
doctors and with everybody and to think
that it's 17 percent in one year that's
a that's a tremendous achievement thank
06:14
you very much and we're now working with
Congress to pass legislation that ends
surprised medical building and we're
going to have another big announcement
in two weeks unrelated but something
that's going to have a profound effect
on the things that we're talking about
and have been talking about over the
last two and a half years it's going to
be something really incredible that'll
take place over the next two weeks
that'll be a very big announcement
nobody knows what it is it's gonna be a
06:47
big surprise but it's gonna be a very
pleasant one no American should be
blindsided by bills for medical services
they never agreed to in advance we're
promoting price transparency to force
competition and drive down cost and
that's what's happening and that's one
of the reasons we're getting the drug
prices stopping from those tremendous
increases that have taken effect for so
many years for so many decades they've
been going only in one direction up and
now we have them breaking even and going
07:19
down
we're defending Medicare and Social
Security for our great seniors were
eliminated and we have eliminated Obama
cares deeply unpopular individual
mandate penalty and you know how bad
that was think of it you paid a
tremendous amount of money for the
privilege of paying so that you don't
have to pay for bad insurance okay
how bad does that get that's got to be a
07:50
first nobody's ever heard of that one
but we eliminated it it's gone so you're
saving a lot of money and it's a
terrific thing and we will always
protect patients with pre-existing
conditions always we're always going to
protect the patient's pre-existing
conditions and today I'm pleased to
announce another groundbreaking action
we are dramatically increasing the
ability of Americans to access more
affordable health insurance through
08:21
options and through their employers
we're doing so by expanding health
reimbursement arrangements or HRAs as
they are commonly known HRAs will allow
American workers to shop for the plan
that's right for them and their family
and have their employer cover the cost
and it's a reasonable cost and people
are going to be getting tremendous
benefits this will be possible because
HR A's will now receive the same tax
08:53
treatment that other employer provided
health plans have always enjoyed there
was a lot of restrictions and it was
impossible until now this is something
that it's time has come it's popular
it's really really been a success and I
think this is going to be for many
people this will be the way of the
future the previous administration
imposed crushing fines and other
penalties on HRAs to prevent employees
09:23
from selecting the plan of their choice
it was impossible with today's action we
are eliminating all of those
restrictions and thanks to the changes
we're making an estimated 11 million
Americans will now choose their own
plans with the help of the HRAs this
will increase the size thank you
it's a very big deal this will increase
the size of individual market by at
least 50 percent improving choice
promoting competition and lowering costs
09:58
for the American people HRAs provide
another important option to help even
more employers offer great health
insurance and the benefits to the
American workers will be incredible they
will be especially useful for small
employers an estimated 90% of the
businesses that will take advantage of
HRAs have fewer than 20 employees this
announcement is a monumental victory for
small businesses for their workers and
10:31
previously uninsured Americans who will
now have access to high-quality health
plans of their choice with us today is
one of our nation's wonderful small
business owners Tony
Conkel from Maryland and I will say Tom
you come up where is Tom are you up here
someplace Tom I have not met Tom well
your handsome guy come on up here
Tom kunkel would you say a few words and
let him know what's just happened to you
please
11:07
first of all I'd like to say happy
birthday to the president thank you I a
lot of people from my office or also I
wanted to say happy birthday three years
ago I actually spoke to the US Senate
small business and entrepreneurship
committee about reinstating the health
reimbursement benefit program that had
existed previously this was after the
Obama administration had made it illegal
for our business to help employees but
their health insurance costs at the time
we have been helping our employees some
who had very serious medical conditions
11:39
including cancer and after the Obama
ruling we had to stop all reimbursements
and which caused a great bit of hardship
for our employees and several of them I
actually ended up losing because they
had to had to leave us and go to other
companies that offered a little better
health benefits so I want to thank that
the president and the administration for
supporting this new measure and all of
us Pro a small business policies we very
much appreciate it in a small business
community so this new role would really
12:11
allow small businesses to offer a
benefit to our employees that will help
our employees with health care costs
provide more and better options for them
and also for employers so again I thank
you very much mr. president
also we're joined right now Andreea
burns a small business owner from
Pennsylvania please come up Andrea
please
[Applause]
hello my name is Andrea burns and I'm a
director at Richard s burns & Company a
12:53
family owned and operated construction
waste material recovery and processing
facility in Philadelphia
we employ approximately 100 people and
right now my brother and I Alan choose
the healthcare plan for all of those
employees they don't have the
opportunity to choose the provider the
coverage or the premium this plan HR
13:25
aise would allow us to give them the
opportunity to choose the plan that's
best for them use it well Andrea thanks
you will thank you very much it's gonna
be a great there'll be a great
difference I've repeatedly called on
Congress to work with us to bring down
the cost of health care and prescription
drugs
so all happening it said more than 120
13:58
Democrats in Congress have signed up for
the bernie sanders massive government
takeover of health care that's gonna
hurt a lot of people it's gonna hurt our
country socialist health care would
crush American workers with higher taxes
long wait times and far worse care their
plan would eliminate Medicare as we know
it and terminate the private health
insurance of 180 million Americans and
even more than that now on my watch we
14:28
will never let that happen we will never
be a socialist country
we have to reject the socialist model
that rations care restricts access
Slash's quality enforces patience unto
endless wait lists instead we believe in
freedom we believe in choice we believe
in the highest standard of care in the
world anywhere in the world and we
believe that American families must
always have the right and the power to
choose the very best treatments plans
15:09
doctors for themselves and for their
loved ones they need that freedom they
have to have that freedom and that's
exactly what today's action is all about
we're putting the people back in charge
with more choice for better care at a
far lower cost and other people will not
be paying for their health care we won't
be raising taxes we won't be taxing you
into oblivion we won't be raising the
tax rates to 90 percent I've heard 90%
15:42
the only problem with that one it
doesn't come even close to taking care
of the situation so that means you have
to go a lot higher than 90 percent I
don't think that's going to work too
well in this country we've lowered taxes
we want to keep them down that's very
important and we will not rest until
Americans have the health care system
they need in the serve the system that
finally puts American patients first I
16:13
want to thank everybody for being here
it's a very important day a very special
day god bless you and God bless america
thank you all very much
16:21
[Applause]