Politics

When It Comes To Health Care For The Trump Administration, Size Matters

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Kaitlan Collins Contributor
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WASHINGTON — Sean Spicer repeatedly bragged that the new plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act is decidedly pared down compared to the one Barack Obama and company “jammed down people’s throats.”

(Photo: Reuters)

Two stacks of paper were placed on a small wooden table next to the press secretary’s lectern at the briefing Tuesday. One was the new GOP health care bill, and one was the Obamacare bill.

As he answered questions from reporters, Spicer repeatedly pointed out how much slimmer the new bill was.

“For all the people who have concerns about this, especially on the right,” Spicer said, “look at the size. This is the Democrats. This is us. You can’t get any clearer in terms of, ‘This is government. This is not.'”

(Photo: Reuters)

“I think that part of the reason the visual is important is that when you actually look at the difference, you realize this is what big government does. It crowds out competition, it drives up prices, it stifles entrepreneurship and innovation. That should concern people.”

Spicer also took time during the briefing to note just how short the proposed plan is.

“The new health care plan is 123 pages long. Nearly half of it, 57 pages, are the repeal part, so the plan is pretty much 66 pages long.” (RELATED: Questions Spicer Answered Today)

The Affordable Care Act bill and its related rules and regulations are 22,702 pages long.

(Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Tom Price was also quick to reference the two stacks during his time at the lectern.

“I’m glad you you pointed out the bills on the table there,” Price said. “As you’ll see, this bill right here is the one that was introduced in 2009 and 2010 by the previous administration. Notice how thick that is. Some of you will recall I actually turned the pages and went through that piece of legislation in a YouTube.”

“The pile on the right is the current bill. What it means is that we are making certain that the process, the decisions that are going to be made, are not going to be made by the federal government. They are going to be made by patients and families and doctors.”