Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott rolled out a bill aimed at reshaping how people buy coverage on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. He wants to create HSA style accounts that can pay premiums directly and let insurers sell ACA plans across state lines. It’s a sweeping pitch, and he’s calling it the More Affordable Care Act.
The bill would create Trump Health Freedom Accounts. Instead of sending federal dollars to insurers through subsidies, Scott wants the funding pushed straight into accounts owned by qualified ACA enrollees.
They’d use the money for premiums and other medical costs, almost like a flexible payment engine for coverage.
People only qualify if their state files a Health Freedom Waiver. That waiver replaces premium tax credit subsidies and cost sharing reductions with direct deposits into the new accounts. The size of those deposits ties back to the enrollee’s old premium tax credit amount.
Right now, those subsidies are available to households at or above 100% of the federal poverty line. Scott wants the structure preserved but delivered differently.
The bill also opens the door for insurers to sell ACA plans across state borders. Scott says the change widens competition and increases the number of plans offered on exchanges.
Any plan approved in a state with a waiver could be sold on accessible marketplaces, whether that’s healthcare.gov, a state exchange, or a state run commercial platform. The idea is to let states pull more levers and give carriers more room.
Obamacare has failed to deliver on its promises: families didn’t get to keep their insurance plans, couldn’t keep their doctors, and didn’t save money – and neither did the federal government. Instead, Obamacare created a system that left American families with fewer choices, higher costs, and health care that doesn’t meet their needs.
Senator Rick Scott
“That’s obvious, and it’s why President Trump and the American people are demanding solutions to fix this broken system. My new bill makes simple fixes to Obamacare that will make a world of difference to American families by making Americans the consumer, not the government, while giving them options and transparency. Healthcare.gov and state exchanges continue, protections for pre-existing conditions remain in place, and families who need a safety net have one that works for them”, Senator Rick Scott said.
“Here’s how it works: first, President Trump is right that we have to stop giving tax dollars to big insurance companies and instead send them to families through a Trump Health Freedom Account – an HSA-style account that allows families to use these dollars for any plan they want. Second, let them shop across state lines and purchase the health care plan that best fits their needs. Third, bring transparency to health care so Americans – the consumers and patients – know what things cost so they can make informed decisions. This new system will create market forces to drive competition and reduce costs for families. Americans will always make a better choice for their families than the government will; we should give them that opportunity and take a huge step forward in fixing Obamacare.”
Scott said the system creates real competition and cuts costs for families. He argued that people make better choices for their own households than the government does and said this approach pushes Obamacare toward what he considers a fix rather than another patch.
