U.S. President Trump. Yonhap News Agency

U.S. President Donald Trump is drawing attention for his expressed willingness to pursue a new health insurance system that would effectively replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, ahead of the November general elections next year, which will determine the congressional landscape in the latter half of his second term.

Speaking to reporters on the 16th (local time), President Trump mentioned having "private conversations with some Democrats" about a plan to "pay benefits directly to the people" rather than to insurance companies, and discussed a "plan to give large amounts of money to the people," U.S. media outlets including The Hill reported on the 17th.

President Trump did not disclose which Democratic figures he had communicated with.

During the record-long 43-day federal government shutdown that ended on the 12th, President Trump did not accept the Democratic Party's key demand to extend Obamacare subsidies, which were set to expire at the end of the year, and ultimately ended the shutdown without any concessions on the matter.

President Trump has consistently criticized Obamacare as "the worst healthcare system" and maintained his stance that health insurance subsidies should be paid directly to citizens, not to insurance companies, allowing individuals to choose their preferred insurers.

However, many analysts believe that President Trump is in a difficult position to celebrate the end of the shutdown without any concessions to the Democrats.

This is because projections indicate that if Obamacare subsidies cease, the health insurance premiums for over 20 million Americans receiving subsidies under Obamacare will significantly increase, and Obamacare is expected to become a key issue in the general elections. In this context, President Trump appears to be contemplating a plan to create a new system, dubbed "Trumpcare," by altering the subsidy method for the Democratic Party's flagship policy, "Obamacare," ahead of the November general elections, which will be a critical variable for national governance in the latter half of his second term.

With the Democratic Party likely to use the sharp rise in health insurance premiums as an attack point against the Trump administration and the Republican Party during the general election campaign, President Trump seems to be considering a strategy to counter this by pushing for "Trumpcare," where subsidies would go directly into the hands of individual citizens.

Meanwhile, when asked by reporters on the 14th about the timing of the " $2,000 per person dividend" he previously announced would be paid using tariff revenue, excluding high-income earners, President Trump stated that it would not be before this Christmas and would be paid next year. The timing of this $2,000 payout is also expected to attract attention as it is intertwined with his election strategy for the general elections.

Yonhap News Agency