(NewsNation) — A board-certified surgeon who went viral for criticizing United Healthcare says President Donald Trump’s newly unveiled health care plan moves money around without fixing the system’s fundamental flaws.
Dr. Elisabeth Potter told NewsNation that while she welcomes the health care conversation, Trump’s proposal to redirect insurance subsidies directly to Americans won’t create real change because patients lack genuine choice in a monopolized market.
“Here’s news flash. We have a monopoly. There is no choice,” Potter said. “That money that you’re sending into pockets of Americans, it’s getting spent at the company’s store manufactured by big medicine.”
Trump’s plan, announced this week, aims to lower drug prices and insurance premiums while increasing transparency. It proposes making more pharmaceutical drugs available over the counter, requiring health care providers to post prices and giving money directly to consumers for insurance purchases.
Potter said the plan lacks enforcement mechanisms to hold insurance companies accountable. She noted that existing price transparency rules go unenforced because billion-dollar companies can afford to pay fines.
“A stick would be, ‘You can’t sell insurance for a year.’ A stick would be, ‘You can’t pay out dividends for a year,'” Potter said. “Let’s really hit people where it hurts to change behavior.”
The surgeon, who paid a professional price for publicly challenging United Healthcare, said Trump could become a political hero by taking on big medicine and winning.