DeSantis plans to replace Obamacare with a better alternative

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised on Sunday that, if elected president, he would “supersede” the Affordable Care Act with a better plan that would provide more transparency and choice.

The GOP presidential candidate declined to provide full details of his replacement plan during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, stating that his campaign will likely unveil the proposal this coming spring. However, he mentioned that it will include “more transparency, more consumer choice, more affordable options, less red tape, less bureaucracy weighing everybody down.”

“Obamacare hasn’t worked,” DeSantis said. “We’ll roll out a big proposal. I’ve got a lot of input that’s been coming in from a lot of good people around the country. But we will definitely be addressing insurance, we will definitely be addressing big government, and addressing Big Pharma.”

Former President Donald Trump stated last month that he’s “seriously looking at alternatives” for Obamacare, drawing criticism from President Joe Biden’s campaign. 

“Forty million people — more than 1 in 10 Americans — have health insurance today because of the Affordable Care Act, and Donald Trump just said he would try to rip it away if he returns to power,” Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said. 

Democrats are also criticizing DeSantis’ Obamacare criticisms. Democratic National Committee press secretary Sarafina Chitika stated in a release that “if Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, and MAGA Republicans have their way, they’d send premiums skyrocketing to line the pockets of greedy health care executives and their wealthy buddies.”

During the interview, DeSantis also called out Trump, accusing him of using Obamacare as “part of a pattern where he’s running on things that he didn’t do.”

“What I think they’re going to need to do is have a plan that will supersede Obamacare that will lower prices for people so that they can afford health care while also making sure that people with preexisting conditions are protected,” DeSantis said.

The governor on Sunday also dismissed a question about whether he’d withdraw from the presidential race before the Iowa caucuses, even with his poll numbers trailing Trump’s. 

DeSantis stated that it would be “absurd” to leave the race, pointing out that previous candidates have won the Iowa caucuses without winning the party nomination.

But he also accused Trump of running “for personal retribution.”However, he contended that this approach “is not going to lead to what we need as a country,” and emphasized the importance of running for the American people and their issues.

DeSantis also noted that if elected, he will be eligible to serve for two terms, not one like Trump.

“Republican voters will have the choice of Donald Trump — which I think would make the election a referendum on him and a lot of the issues that he’s dealing with — or me,” he said. “And that will be a referendum on Biden’s failures, on all the issues in the country that are affecting people. And I’ll be able to stand for a positive vision going forward. We have a much better chance if we’re doing it with me as the candidate.”