J.D. Vance Credits Donald Trump for His Mom's Health Coverage — That He Got Using Obamacare

Republican vice presidential nominee, JD Vance, is known to champion the often-criticized healthcare record of Donald Trump's presidency. However, the reality is far different than the narrative he paints. The truth is that the lasting effects of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, are still very much in play. During the recent vice-presidential debate, Vance claimed, "Members of my family actually got private health insurance, at least, for the first time…under Donald Trump's leadership." 

Vance was referring specifically to his mother, Beverly Aikins, who obtained private insurance through Ohio's Affordable Care Act marketplace after overcoming substance abuse issues and becoming financially stable enough to no longer qualify for Medicaid (the public health insurance program for low-income Americans.) The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama back in 2010. The law set up the marketplaces where Vance's mother got her insurance. Even though Trump campaigned on getting rid of the ACA, he wasn't able to do that while he was president.

Health policy experts have been quick to point out the irony in Vance's claims. Andrew Sprung, an independent health analyst, stated, "If any Vance family members transitioned to the marketplace because they earned out of Medicaid, they should be grateful that Trump and Republicans in Congress failed to repeal and replace the marketplace with an alternative that would have provided far less affordable coverage." Vance, in his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, opened up about the tough times his family faced with getting healthcare while dealing with money problems. Aikins has had her battles with drug and alcohol addiction but has been reportedly sober for about ten years now.

Interestingly, Vance himself was critical of Republican efforts to repeal the ACA in 2017. In a New York Times column, he wrote, "The 'full repeal' bill is nothing of the sort — it preserves the regulatory structure of Obamacare but withdraws its supports for the poor." He warned that millions of Americans would be 'unable to pay for basic health care' under the proposed replacement plans. Now on the campaign trail, Vance has shifted his stance, attempting to cast Trump as a defender of the ACA. He stated during the debate, "Donald Trump could have destroyed the program. Instead, he worked in a bipartisan way to ensure that Americans had access to affordable care."

This characterization has been slammed by many quarters. Former President Obama himself weighed in, criticizing Vance for having 'the nerve to say Donald Trump salvaged the Affordable Care Act.' Daniel Skinner, an Ohio University health professor, called Vance's comments 'a delicate if disingenuous dance,' adding, "Vance knows that the ACA is now pretty popular, despite a good portion of Trump's MAGA base insisting that he get behind repealing it again," as per The Washington Post.