Donald Trump in Triage Mode After Shocking Conservatives With Health Care Comments

The New York Times ^ | February 19, 2016 | Alan Rappeport

[2ndDivisionVet]

He has broken with many Republicans on taxing the rich, threatening trade wars and keeping Planned Parenthood alive. On Friday, Donald J. Trump faced criticism for an even bolder act of conservative heresy: embracing the core tenet of the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Trump has to date offered only bits and pieces of his health agenda, generally presenting a vow to repeal "Obamacare" and replace it with "something great."

In a town-hall meeting hosted by CNN on Thursday night, he shared some more expansive views on the subject, and unlike most Republicans he did not call for removing the individual mandate that requires Americans to have health insurance.

Asked how people with pre-existing medical conditions would purchase insurance if the health law and the mandate were eliminated, Mr. Trump said, "I like the mandate."

"So here's where I'm a little bit different," he continued. "I don't want people dying on the streets."

Less than 24 hours later, Mr. Trump backed away from his remarks, proclaiming himself to be the fiercest opponent of the health law. It was the latest example of a candidate who has been impervious to inconsistencies again emerging unscathed from a misstep that would probably be damaging to anyone else....

[dragnet2]

I’ve seen the hit pieces nate. You get a 3 for effort.

[BlueStateRightist]

Mitt Romney: A well-mannered Donald Trump.

[trebb]

I saw the interview - this story doesn't grasp the meaning and context of what he said. He wants the government out of the big deal and to allow insurance companies/doctors to compete under Capitalism" - no State barriers to handcuff folks.

The "really bad thing" he said was that we still needed to take care of the elderly/veterans and those too poor to take care of medical bills themselves - under reduced access conditions to ensure they didn't get all the plums of those who could pay their own way. Anyone want to say he should have told us to just leave them to die in the streets and send out the Soylent Green machines to tidy up????

[RonnG]

“No more world-order loving necons (Bush, Cruz, the Mailman, and Rubby-Oh. Time for a nationalist! Lets bring back the USA!”

So When Trump called Pat Buchanan a “Hitler-lover” he only meant it as a complement?

[norwaypinesavage]

"he meant that insurance companies couldn't deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions."

Great plan. That means I don't have to pay for fire insurance until after my house burns down.

[kindred]

Mistake on his part on this. He is evasive on what he would replace it with, but any government mandate health care is wrong because it can only be expensive if the government has anything at all to do with it. It will continue to drive up costs for those who pay taxes. Only the mooches will benefit.
Trump must replace all government run, government required programs like obamacare with the American capitalist programs which have worked.

[TBP]

I’m not a nationalst; I’m a federalist and a constitutionalist.