Everyone wants decent health care that they can afford

Folks, who was supposed to be watching grandpa last night?

- Anita Chabria, Tribune News Service

Donald Trump

Because he got out, got on TV and... It. Was. Not. Good.For 18 long minutes Wednesday evening, we were subjected to a rant by President Donald Trump that predictably careened from immigrants (bad) to jobs (good), rarely slowing down for reality. But jumbled between the vitriol and venom was a vision of American health care that would have horror villainess M3GAN shaking in her Mary Janes — a vision that we all should be afraid of because it would take us back to a dark era when insurance couldn't be counted on. Trump's remarks offered only a sketchy outline, per usual, in which the costs of health insurance premiums may be lower but it will be because the coverage is terrible. Yes, you'll save money. But so what? A cheap car without wheels is not a deal.

“The money should go to the people,” Trump said of his sort-of plan. The money he vaguely was alluding to is the government subsidies that make insurance under the Affordable Care Act affordable. After antics and a mini-rebellion by four Republicans also on Wednesday, Congress basically failed to do anything meaningful on health care — pretty much ensuring those subsidies will disappear with the New Year. Starting in January, premiums for too many people are going to leap skyward without the subsidies, jumping by an average of $1,016 according to the health policy research group KFF.