President Trump blames Democrats for blocking fixes to Obamacare in a new Republican-sponsored television ad — even though the GOP-controlled Senate failed several times to approve overhauling the healthcare system, according to a report on Tuesday.
The ad, paid for by the Republican National Committee, decries “skyrocketing” insurance premiums “while Democrats in Washington, DC, block a better plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare once and for all – obstructing our president just to score political points with the radical left,” the Associated Press reported.
The spot shows grainy images of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson, the Florida Democrat who criticized as insensitive comments Trump made in a condolence call to the widow of a soldier killed in Africa.
“President Trump will fix it,” the narrator says in the ad, which began running Tuesday on cable stations nationwide.
Despite having a 52-48 majority in the Senate, Republicans were unable to make good on a seven-year pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Efforts to dismantle ObamaCare were thwarted by Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska who opposed changes backed by the White House.
The House, which also has a Republican majority, passed a healthcare bill in May.
Bipartisan legislation – backed by Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee – has gotten support from Democrats but not from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Trump.
The consulting firm Avalere Health predicted last week that premiums for the most popular ObamaCare plans would jump by an average of 34 percent, but blamed the increases on uncertainty in the system.
It said Trump’s decision to end subsidy payments to insurers that help low-income customers pay premiums and the constant haggling over legislation are creating instability in the market.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said White House-backed plans would knock millions of people off the healthcare rolls and would do away with popular provisions like coverage for pre-existing conditions.