# Trump gos socialist; embraces Obamacare! **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 14, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590 "2020-09-14T16:59:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/1 "2020-09-14T16:59:21Z")
Our president is a socialist. His latest executive order calls for a policy that is explicitly called socialism by conservative groups. > **[Trump Issues Expansive Order Aimed at Lowering Drug Prices (Published 2020)](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/13/us/politics/trump-executive-order-drug-prices.html?searchResultPosition=1)** > > The order expands on a presidential promise by trying to reduce the prices Medicare pays for prescription drugs, but experts said it was unclear whether the White House could carry out the directive. The order would require “Medicare to pay the same price for prescription drugs as those sold in Europe and other developed nations, which often have lower prices.” Often called drug capping, conservatives have been having fits since he first suggested it last year. > **[Socialist Price Schemes Will Be Harmful to Patients | RealClearHealth](https://www.realclearhealth.com/articles/2019/06/01/socialist_price_schemes_will_be_harmful_to_patients_110915.html)** > > A recent study published in Health Affairs reached a controversial conclusion, that the United States should adopt socialist price schemes to reduce drug prices. > The study, Using External... [https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/456457-conservatives-buck-trump-over-worries-of-socialist-drug-pricing](https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/456457-conservatives-buck-trump-over-worries-of-socialist-drug-pricing) Or [Grover Nyquist](https://khn.org/news/a-conservative-group-paints-trumps-drug-pricing-experiment-as-socialist-is-it/): > The Americans for Tax Reform’s ad begins with President Donald Trump saying, “America will never be a socialist country.” > > It then quickly pivots to take aim at the administration. > > “You’re right, Mr. President,” the ad continues. “But the Department of Health and Human Services is considering a plan to adopt socialist price controls from foreign countries.” Wait. It gets better. Where does he get the authority to issue this order? From Obamacare. As the Times article says: > But it is unclear whether the White House has the authority to put the expansive order into effect. And in an odd twist, in calling for the secretary to set up the model programs, the administration is relying on its authority under the Affordable Care Act, which Mr. Trump and his fellow Republicans are trying to overturn in the Supreme Court. > > In addition, Rachel Sachs, an associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis who covers prescription drug policy, [reminded her Twitter followers](https://twitter.com/RESachs/status/1305256549414252544) on Sunday that “in December 2019, the House (led by the Democratic caucus) passed a bill that would’ve used international reference pricing to lower the price of drugs in Medicare.” > > “Trump threatened to veto that bill,” she wrote. Whenever you hear a conservative scream “socialism, socialism, socialism” remind them of this. BTW, there isn’t a chance in hell any drug price changes will be seen before the election, because there will be a million lawsuits over the order’s legality. And it also is infuriating Big Pharma just when he needs them most. Doesn’t matter. All he wanted was to say “LOWER DRUG PRICES… FAST!” in all caps on Twitter. It’s a September surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/2 "2020-09-14T17:15:39Z")
Maybe I’m misunderstanding what happens but European countries being able to negotiate cheaper prices isn’t socialism. They are negotiating cheaper prices by refusing to buy them at higher prices. Isn’t that more like capitalism? ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/3 "2020-09-14T17:16:16Z")
It’s completely consistent with conservative values to go full communist once every four years to get elected. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/4 "2020-09-14T17:17:14Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Maybe I’m misunderstanding what happens but European countries being able to negotiate cheaper prices isn’t socialism. They are negotiating cheaper prices by refusing to buy them at higher prices. Isn’t that more like capitalism? It obviously isn’t socialism - it’s just a dig at conservatives who say anything that hurts big business is socialism. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/5 "2020-09-14T17:19:05Z")
When it comes to the right wing definitions to all things socialistic and/or communistic begin with “When a Democrat…” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/6 "2020-09-14T18:33:37Z")
Right. Anything the government decides is socialism, unless the government is Republican. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/7 "2020-09-14T18:39:47Z")
And most notably, the “makin’ sh\*t up” R/W media will trumpet this as a done deal that Trump accomplished, all evidence to the contrary. The MAGA base will start spouting this as another in a long list of (not real) achievements. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/8 "2020-09-14T18:48:37Z")
Just reading what **Exapno\_Mapcase** wrote, it sounds like we’re talking about a price ceiling in a capitalist economy. Calling this socialism indicates ignorance. The proper scaremongering term is “interventionalist”. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/9 "2020-09-15T19:57:02Z")
We all know this aint going anywhere. Pure electioneering. Here in Canada the governments negotiate drug prices and no one calls it socialism. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/10 "2020-09-15T20:23:40Z")
No one in Canada, maybe… ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/11 "2020-09-15T21:33:39Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > Just reading what **Exapno\_Mapcase** wrote, it sounds like we’re talking about a price ceiling in a capitalist economy. No it isn’t. The drug companies can charge whatever they want, its just that Medicare won’t buy it at that price. If I find my local Supermarket is charging my neighbor $4.00/lb for hamburger and charging me $20/lb, is it price fixing for me to say no thanks? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/12 "2020-09-15T21:47:59Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > Calling this socialism indicates ignorance Or searing sarcasm. Potato/Potato know what I’m sayin? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/13 "2020-09-15T22:21:47Z")
Very well. _Effectively_ a price ceiling in a capitalist economy. I feel like it is common knowledge that Medicare controls almost all of the demand, either directly through its beneficiaries/part D sponsors, or indirectly as most commercial insurers set their rates at a percentage of the Medicare rates. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-gos-socialist-embraces-obamacare/920590/14 "2020-09-15T23:09:34Z")
Agree w **Max** here. Medicare is a bit like the Pentagon; they’re both [monopsony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopsony) buyers. Which means by and large they dictate the price, not the seller. Neither is there a parity of power and therefore a straightforward price negotiation among equals.