Trump’s Health Savings Insurance Plan: A Windfall for Insurers
Trump’s proposed health savings insurance plan part of the broader
Project 2025 agenda claims to empower Americans by giving them direct cash to
purchase their own insurance. But behind the rhetoric lies a dangerous shift:
from regulated coverage to privatized chaos, where insurers profit and patients
pay the price.
What Is the Plan?
Instead of ACA subsidies going to insurers, Trump’s plan would deposit
funds into personal health savings accounts (HSAs) or flexible spending
accounts (FSAs). Americans would then use these accounts to buy their own
insurance often from a fragmented, unregulated market.
Why UnitedHealthcare Is All In
UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurer in the U.S., stands to gain
billions:
- Medicare
Advantage Expansion: Project 2025 would make
Medicare Advantage the default enrollment, potentially doubling
UnitedHealthcare’s revenue from $137 billion to $274 billion annually.
- Denial of Care:
UnitedHealthcare already denies care to 5.2 million people annually
through prior authorization and claim denials.
- Profit Surge: In Q3 2024
alone, UnitedHealthcare posted $6 billion in profit driven by cost-cutting
and coverage restrictions.
This model thrives when consumers are pushed into high-deductible or
short-term plans with limited protections exactly what Trump’s proposal
encourages.
Real-Life Failures: When Insurance Isn’t
Insurance
Trump’s plan echoes past efforts to deregulate health coverage—and the
results have been devastating:
- Heart Surgery,
$100K Bill: A woman featured in KFF Health News underwent heart surgery only
to discover her plan didn’t cover it. She was left with a $100,000 bill.
- Medical Debt
Crisis: Over 100 million Americans carry medical debt. Trump’s plan would
worsen this by reducing coverage and increasing out-of-pocket costs.
- Sham Insurance
Risks: Without ACA standards, consumers may unknowingly purchase plans
that exclude essential services, leaving them vulnerable during
emergencies.
What’s at Stake
Trump’s health savings insurance plan may sound empowering, but it shifts
risk to individuals while enriching insurers like UnitedHealthcare. The
consequences:
- Higher premiums
for ACA enrollees
- Fewer
protections for preexisting conditions
- Greater medical
debt and financial instability
- Collapse of the
ACA marketplace
This isn’t just a policy debate it’s a question of whether Americans can
afford to get sick.
Final Thought
Health care shouldn’t be a gamble. Trump’s plan turns coverage into a
commodity, leaving millions exposed while insurers rake in billions. Americans
deserve better than a system were getting sick means going broke.
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