Trump promotes health care 'vision' in NC

President Donald Trump visited swing state North Carolina to unveil his 'vision' for a new health care plan.

The president says the plan includes affordable prices, with lower prescription drug costs, more consumer choice and greater transparency.

But while the Trump administration has made some progress on its health care goals, the sweeping changes he promised as a candidate in 2016 have eluded him. Democrats are warning Trump would turn back the clock if given another four years in the White House, and they're promising coverage for all and lower drug prices.

The clock has all but run out in Congress for major legislation on lowering drug costs or ending surprise bills, much less replacing the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.”

And the number of uninsured Americans had started edging up even before job losses in the economic shutdown to try to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Various studies have tried to estimate the additional coverage losses this year, but the most authoritative government statistics have a long time lag.

Meanwhile, Trump is pressing the Supreme Court to invalidate the entire Obama health law, which provides coverage to more than 20 million people and protects Americans with medical problems from insurance discrimination. The case will be argued a week after Election Day.

The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has added another layer of uncertainty. Without Ginsburg, there's no longer a majority of five justices who previously had voted to uphold the ACA.