President Donald Trump on Tuesday highlighted a text message from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., proposing a renewed push to expand so-called Association Health Plans, framing it as a potential bipartisan effort to lower health insurance premiums.
In the message, Paul acknowledged he and Trump have "been at odds recently," but pointed to cooperation during Trump's first term, when Trump signed an executive order aimed at broadening Association Health Plans, arrangements that allow individuals and small businesses to band together to purchase coverage.
Paul said the effort "did not succeed because Dem AG's fought it in court," and argued the policy could be enacted legislatively now.
Paul urged Trump to help pass the change through Congress, writing that it "costs nothing" and would modify labor law to allow people to buy insurance collectively through large retailers such as "Costco, Amazon, or Sam's Club."
He ended by asking whether Trump would want to "partner on" the effort.
Trump's post comes soon after Republican Reps. Rick Allen of Georgia and Jodey Arrington of Texas announced their "Healthy Competition for Better Care Act," which they say would promote "transparency in health care," crack down on anti-competitive practices, and remove restrictions that prevent competition in health care markets.
Echoing Paul's concerns, the Allen-Arrington bill argues that increased competition in the health insurance industry is necessary to restore "access to quality care" for Americans.
"Americans are paying too much for too little health care," Arrington said in a statement. "This bipartisan legislation puts hardworking families first, ensures fair competition, and puts patients, not bureaucrats, back in charge of their health care."
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