In Cincinnati, Trump joins Obamacare 'victims'

The day after a huge Ohio health care provider announced it is quitting the state's health care exchange, President Donald Trump repeated his vow to get rid of the Affordable Care Act.

Trump called the ACA, better known as Obamacare, a “disaster,” and he blamed Democrats for “destroying health care in this country.”

“The Democrats are really in our way,” Trump said, speaking to reporters and a small crowd of supporters outside Cincinnati’s Lunken Airport. 

The president flew to Cincinnati on Wednesday to talk about infrastructure. Meanwhile, in Washington, the focus was on James Comey, the FBI director Trump fired. Comey is expected to testify on Thursday about the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the U.S. election.

Trump spent only a few minutes at Lunken He ignored reporters who shouted questions about Comey. He gave a short speech, shook a few hands, then departed for Rivertowne Marina, roughly a mile down the road.

Trump stood with two families at the airport, using Air Force One as a backdrop. Raya and Michael Whalen, from the Dayton area, said Obamacare forced them to switch doctors for the birth of their now-7-month-old daughter, Collette. The Whalens own a small playground equipment company, and they had to stop offering insurance for the company’s 15 employees after Obamacare took effect.

Dan Withrow, from Louisville, said his company's insurance rates climbed about 150 percent and his plan choices went down because of Obamacare.

Both families are active Trump supporters who said they got calls requesting them to meet the president at the airport. Withrow said he testified against Obamacare way back in 2009. 

"It's been horrible for small business," he said.

Trump called the Whalens and the Withrows "two of the many victims of the Obamacare catastrophe created by congressional Democrats.”

“Two American families, great families,” Trump said. “They’ve had their lives completely upended by the disaster known as Obamacare.”

More:Major insurer Anthem to withdraw from Ohio health care exchange

On Tuesday, the day before Trump's visit, news broke that Anthem, one of the largest insurance providers in Ohio, will leave the state's health care exchange next year. That departure is a huge blow to 18 Ohio counties, in particular, that, unless something changes, won’t have any exchange insurance options for 2018.

Politically, each side was quick to blame the other. Democrats said it was Trump's fault for creating uncertainty by threatening to stop paying subsidies that help insurers cover the costs of low-income enrollees.

Republicans blamed Obamacare, saying Anthem's departure is proof the law is failing and must be repealed.

For its part, Anthem said the decision was based on uncertainty and shifting rules and guidance. 

And the GOP-controlled Congress has not helped matters with its stop-and-start efforts to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The House narrowly passed a repeal bill in May, but that bill has stalled in the Senate. Republicans in that chamber are trying to craft their own version of a health care bill, but they have failed to reach any consensus yet.

In Cincinnati on Wednesday, Trump placed blame squarely on Democrats’ shoulders.

“We’re having no help,” he said. “It’s only obstruction, from Democrats.”

Trump cited skyrocketing insurance premiums, 86 percent in Ohio and 75 percent Kentucky. That statement is true – with key caveats. Premiums in the individual markets have risen, but most people get insurance from their employers, not the individual market. Those numbers also do not take into account tax credits low-income people get when they buy insurance on the exchange.

At the bottom of the steps from Air Force One, Trump spoke briefly with the Whalen and Withrow families before he made his speech. He listened to their stories, and he promised to fix their problems, Raya Whalen said.

“And I believe he truly will,” she said.

Added Withrow: "The guy's built a billion-dollar business. He's one of those guys that just says, 'I'm not gonna take no for an answer.'"

Reporters ChrissieThompson and Jessie Balmert contributed to this report.