Senator Daines Has Criticisms for Both Obama and Trump Healthcare Plans

Montana Senator Steve Daines has made some headlines nationwide for expressing concerns about the American Healthcare Act, a bill that its supporters say would start to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act. According to Daines, his concerns are based on a recently released Congressional Budget Office report on the expected outcomes of the bill.

"My critique, concerns I shared this past week, look at the fact the premiums are planning to continue to go up according to the CBO report," said Daines. "That concerned me greatly. It pointed out that they would start to come down after 2020, but I am pressing the leadership and chairmen of the committees, say you know we gotta do better than that."

Though he expressed concerns about the American Healthcare Act, Daines appears to be more pessimistic about the Affordable Care Act, describing it as a system in a death spiral that has negatively impacted Montana health insurance rates.

"If you're a 27-year-old Montanan, you saw a 76% increase in your annual premiums," Daines said. "That is nearly $2,000 a year if you are 27. If you are a family of four, you saw 122% increase in your premiums over the last few years. That is an $11,000 a year increase in annual premiums."

When asked to comment on ways the law could be changed to lower insurance rates, Daines recommended removing some of the essential benefit requirements specified in the Affordable Care Act.