Former Republican Congressman Peter King of New York joins to discuss President Donald Trump's healthcare plan.

Washington

President Trump has introduced a $50 billion healthcare initiative designed to address gaps in rural healthcare, lower prescription drug prices, and enhance patient control over healthcare spending. The plan proposes direct payments to patients, reduced insurance premiums, and permanent price transparency, with a focus on supporting rural hospitals and expanding telemedicine capabilities.

Former Congressman Peter King and Dr. Mehmet Oz highlighted the critical need for improved rural healthcare access, citing the lack of specialized care in areas like Butler, Pennsylvania. The proposal also aims to maintain subsidies during the transition and urges bipartisan cooperation to implement the plan swiftly, as many Americans currently face high costs and limited access under existing healthcare systems.

Trump announces $50 billion rural health plan

Congressman, good to have you. Thanks for being here. Great, thank you. So the president's plan, the great healthcare plan, does a couple of things. It directs payments to the patient, so they control the healthcare dollar. It's proposing that it would lower prescription drug prices. We have a list on the screen right now. It reduces insurance premiums and would make price transparency permanent for patients or customers in this case. Is this roadmap going to work? Is it going to take? I think it should, especially the fact that he's reigning in the insurance companies. I can tell you, I think the really, he's taking money from the American people, denying care to people who absolutely need it. And the insurance companies have really become a behemoth. And the president's standing up to them. I applaud him for that. The Obamacare has not worked. I voted against it when I was in Congress. I would certainly vote against it again today. The only concern I have in all this though, is that this is going to take at least several months if not longer to implement. And my concern is those who are getting subsidies right now, will they be out of healthcare during that time? I think we just have to make sure that those who are, that no one is going to lose healthcare in the interim while this new plan is being enacted. But the plan itself, I think is on target. The president is right. Money should be going right to the people. Again, rural healthcare, I never had rural areas in my district. When I was in Congress, I saw how essential those hospitals are to people living in those districts. If you're living in a metropolitan area, you always have access to healthcare. People in rural areas often don't. So this is really filled a really gaping void. Yeah, and rural healthcare, I mean, that's delivery of about half of the patients across the country. So it's critical to address it. I'll get to that in just a minute. But just to be clear, Congressman, because you have studied, you know, for decades, every healthcare plan that has swirled around Congress for the last 30 years, you are in favor of keeping the subsidies in place, because this has got to get done quickly, keeping subsidies in place until we can get passage of this or something like it. Yeah, that's basically it. I don't want people to fall through the cracks. In the meantime, I want this enacted as quickly as possible. But in the meantime, I don't want anyone to lose their access to healthcare. Okay, so as it pertains to this great healthcare plan that the president is proposing, he actually discussed how he got this done. He said he went after European price controls and got most favored nation drug pricing for the US to bring down the cost of drugs. That, you know, again, you've been around healthcare legislation for a long time. That piece is critical, is it not? Absolutely vital, and I give the president credit for getting those healthcare companies in there. They're basically telling them what has to be done. You know, pre-pharma, they have to realize that the time has come and you can't be giving a benefit and a break to Europeans and not giving it to Americans. I was watching the press conference, the roundtable discussion at the White House pretty closely. And during the roundtable, Dr. Oz, Mehmet Oz was there. He was at the microphone and he was talking about Butler, Pennsylvania, and congressmen specifically talking about this critical access to care for rural America. He was talking about Butler, Pennsylvania, where the president was shot. He explained that if the president had taken the bullet to the head like that gunman intended that day, Dr. Oz explained that there's this critical golden hour in medicine and that in rural Butler, Pennsylvania, there was no full-time neurosurgeon on staff to treat the president that day. And he said the outcome would not have been good. He says this legislation would change that for rural Americans. Listen. But if you'd had a head injury, you could have had your life saved. But without a neurosurgeon, and there is no neurosurgeon at Butler General Hospital, unfortunately, you wouldn't have an option because Pittsburgh is a far, far ride away. That's the closest metropolitan area where there are lots of neurosurgeons. But with this bill, this legislation rather, this funding of $50 billion, Pennsylvania got its share, and they're gonna be able to build telemedicine hookups, even telerobotic surgery that would allow a injured individual in a car accident or any other reason that is a head injury in Butler General and rural hospitals across the country to be able to access the best care our nation has to offer so rural America will not suffer. That's the promise of what this money offers to our nation. It's not just paying the bills, it's not just picking up the pieces, it's actually transforming using technology we have widely available in urban America the way we save lives in rural America. That is game-changing for rural Americans. That was very effective by Dr. Oz to personalize and talk to President Trump and show that there are human beings involved. These aren't just bookkeeping matters and not just something that you talk about in science class, this is real. And these are the real benefits that people need. And by showing how that can affect save President Trump's life, and any number of other people in that same situation across the country whose lives are gonna be changed and made better because of this legislation. So this is critical to your point, Congressman, that this get done very quickly. This is hitting Americans right now, 1.4 million Americans. They basically walked away from Obamacare because it's too expensive to go and bear, if you will. And those with healthcare, they don't wanna go because the deductibles are so high. So healthcare, it's really not working for anyone in this country right now. It's not at all. And I was there at 2009, 2010. President Obama said, all our healthcare is gonna be resolved. This is it. It's gonna be lower healthcare costs for everyone, better care for everyone. None of which turned up. So what's the sticking point, Congressman? I have about a minute left. How's this gonna get done and what are the roadblocks? The roadblocks are that it's an election year and both parties have to come together and realize they have to get as much of this implemented as possible. You're not gonna get a perfect bill, but they have to move in that direction, get as much of it as they can. And they can always keep some issues on the side if they wanna make political points. But as far as this in particular, they gotta get as much of it done to make sure that people who really need the care are gonna get it and people who need the care and have it now are not gonna lose it. And they gotta move fast because Americans are hurting right now. And as former Congressman of New York, Peter King, sir, good to have you on as always. Thank you.

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