The Trump administration has reversed course and opted to argue in Federal Court in New Orleans that the entire Affordable Care Act should be declared unconstitutional. There are reports that several members of his administration strongly urged him not to take this stance for fear of the political ramifications. But President Trump seems to be feeling emboldened by the Mueller Report that failed to find he had colluded with the Russians and couldn’t decide if he was guilty of Obstruction of Justice. So, he’s gone back on the attack on everything associated with President Obama, including his signature healthcare law.

Unfortunately, the President neglected to consult with congressional Republicans on this new strategy, meaning that they were suddenly facing the prospect of having the balance of the popular benefits of Obamacare being ripped away from their constituents. That would include protection for pre-existing conditions, keeping children on their parents’ policies until age 26 and more – all things Trump had promised to protect since his candidacy in 2016. It would also roll back the huge expansion of Medicaid coverage, which is how most newly-covered Americans are receiving care. And all this would happen without a viable replacement plan from the GOP in place, despite President Trump declaring that the Republican party would become “The Party of Healthcare”. To be fair, Republican Senator Lamar Alexander has been very active in trying to attack problems in healthcare ever since the original GOP effort fell apart in 2017. He has been working on prescription drug prices and having some low-level talks with Senate Democrats, but there has been little visible progress.

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