Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Newsmax that Americans should look for a new approach to healthcare being announced by Republicans in the coming weeks.
The senator told "The Chris Salcedo Show" on Wednesday that despite some policy differences at times, "I like Donald Trump. I have been friends with him for over a decade."
Paul said he and the president have been in close contact recently on the healthcare issue. "I talked with him this week," he said. "I've been talking with him about healthcare ideas.
"And one of the ideas he put into play in his first administration, I think we're going to try to bring back."
Probably more than just try, Paul said. The approach involves allowing Americans to decide where to get health insurance.
"And this is the idea of legalizing the ability to buy your health insurance through Costco, Sam's or Amazon. And then you become part of a big group. For example, Costco has 44 million members," he explained.
The numbers mean leverage, which Sen. Paul says counts for a lot in the business world. "Can you imagine if one person negotiated for 44 million members, how you'd drive prices down?" he said.
By comparison, said Paul, the current healthcare system in the U.S. prevents that kind of competitive nature that impacts many other aspects of business.
"So this would do what Obamacare never could do. Obamacare didn't work to drive prices down, and drove prices up. If you allow insurance to be bought through these large retailers, you can drive prices down," Paul said.
Paul said there's more than just a good chance this sort of structure will be set up for the country. "The president agrees with me. And I think he's going to make it part of the healthcare package as we push forward," he said.
Trump has mentioned concerns about the current healthcare plan in America. He posted on Tuesday that "THE ONLY HEALTHCARE I WILL SUPPORT OR APPROVE IS SENDING THE MONEY DIRECTLY BACK TO THE PEOPLE, WITH NOTHING GOING TO THE BIG, FAT, RICH INSURANCE COMPANIES, WHO HAVE MADE $TRILLIONS, AND RIPPED OFF AMERICA LONG ENOUGH."
He added, "THE PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED TO NEGOTIATE AND BUY THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, INSURANCE. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!"
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Trump ended his post with words of caution for lawmakers in Washington, saying "Congress, do not waste your time and energy on anything else. This is the only way to have great Healthcare in America!!! GET IT DONE, NOW. President DJT"
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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