DeSantis health care plan would ‘supersede’ Obamacare. What does that mean?

DeSantis didn’t outright say that he would repeal the Affordable Care Act, but the Republican hopeful said he wants to replace it with something that would lower health care costs and continue to guarantee coverage for people with preexisting conditions.

“We want to make sure we have as many people covered as possible at the lowest possible price,” the governor said.

The fate of Obamacare is an important issue for many in the governor’s state.

In January, Florida led the way with the highest number of people in the country who signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, with more than 3.2 million people enrolling, or 20% of the country’s totals. Miami-Dade easily led the country in Obamacare enrollments this year, according to data made available by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, with just under 750,000 consumers with an Obamacare marketplace plan selection.

Open enrollment for 2024 coverage under the Affordable Care Act is underway.

To reduce prices, DeSantis said he plans to examine how the government — as well as pharmaceutical and insurance companies — inflate prices.

“More transparency. More consumer choice. More affordable options. Less red tape. Less bureaucracy weighing everybody down,” DeSantis said of his plan, which he said he will detail in the spring — a timeline that would have him rolling out his proposal after the Florida presidential primary on March 19.

During the segment, DeSantis also fired shots at former President Donald Trump, who’s favored to win the GOP nomination, over the failed bids to repeal the Affordable Care Act under his term. Last week, Trump vowed to offer a ”much better Healthcare than Obamacare,” if reelected.

Health care is bound to be a key political issue in Florida and around the country as voters head to the ballot box in 2024.

Florida is one of 10 states that has declined to expand Medicaid eligibility under Obamacare. That has left about 425,000 Floridians without health insurance because they don’t make enough money to qualify for coverage under the Affordable Care Act, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

In a statement, the Democratic National Committee called out DeSantis and claimed that he aims to “rip away affordable health care and devastate millions of Americans.”

“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,” the DNC said. “Voters have rejected their extreme, unpopular agenda before and they’ll do it again next November.”

©2023 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.