Comment: Trump executive order eases restrictions on buying insurance outside of Obamacare

Comment: TownHall on Paul Rand's comments:

According to Paul, the executive order will create "Health Associations," which would allow people to create groups similar to large corporations in order to get lower premiums on their plans. Paul said that these Association Health Plans will "be among the biggest-free market reforms" of the healthcare industry in decades, and is a better alternative than repealing the bill outright. Paul called Trump "bold" in making these changes, and said that he worked with Trump for a long time to create this executive order.

From Breitbart:

"How will it work? Well, nationwide associations like the National Restaurant Association will be allowed to form groups across state lines and, with the leverage of size, demand Big Insurance bring down their outrageous premiums.

Many of the 28 million people left behind by Obamacare who still don't have insurance work low-wage jobs in our fast food restaurants. The President's decision today will allow workers from two million restaurants to come together to form a buying group and through sheer size get cheaper and better insurance.

Millions of people will be eligible for the same group insurance that big corporations offer. In fact, Health Associations may grow to be larger than the largest of our corporations. Currently, about half of private insurance is cross-state, self-insured ERISA plans, and most employees love them. The President's action today will allow the millions of people in the individual market an escape route to group insurance.

Association Health Plans will be among the biggest free-market reforms of health care in a generation, and it will do more to counter the impact of Obamacare than most of the repeal bills did, because it will actually go after regulations that the legislation didn't touch due to Senate rules.

Existing law allows the President to legalize these new groups and plans. Where previous administrations have been weak, President Trump is bold to allow this reform."

Additionally, Paul explains that these new "Health Associations" are cross-state entities that are exempt from some of the costly state and federal regulations other plans face. Pre-existing conditions are not a disqualifier from the plan, either. Paul supports this plan as it is not a mandate, subsidy, or tax, but rather is a removal of regulations and other barriers.

Comment: Tehran won't cave in to Washington's pressure, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, adding that the US is "now more than ever isolated." Earlier, Donald Trump said he would not re-certify the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal and imposed further sanctions on Tehran.

"Today the United States is more than ever isolated in its opposition to the nuclear deal and in its plots against the Iranian people," Rouhani said.

During a televised address on Friday, Rouhani stressed that the deal cannot be amended and no new clauses can be added to it.

Tehran will remain committed to the accord, but only while Iranian national interests are preserved, he said.

Iran, however, will never hesitate to give a "proper answer" if its interests are violated, Rouhani warned.

"The Iranian nation has not and will never bow to any foreign pressure... Iran and the deal are stronger than ever," Rouhani said.

The Iranian president dismissed America's anti-nuclear rhetoric, saying the US is the only country to have ever used an atomic bomb.

He also decried the newly announced US sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

No matter the restrictions, "Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps will continue its fight against regional terrorists," Rouhani said.

See also:

• Trump on Iran: No strategy, just aims - with no way to achieve them
• Brainwashed Trump decertifies Iran deal, pushing it to Congress - imposes 'tough sanctions' on Iran's Revolutionary Guard

Democracts, rightly, are calling Trump's new Iran strategy a "grave mistake". Nancy Pelosi added that it not only threatens America's credibility "at a very critical time", but it also threatens her security. Ben Cardin called it "one of the most dangerous and consequential decisions the President has made imperiling US national security." Bob Menendez says it creates "uncertainty among our allies" and emboldens Iran, while Chris Murphy said it makes war in the Middle East and on the Korean Peninsula more likely. Joe Biden observed that it will not isolate Iran; on the contrary, "It isolates us."

Naturally, Russia and China are rallying behind the Iran deal. As is the EU:

EU foreign policy director Federica Mogherini and German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel held phone talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, saying Europe will respect its side of the deal as long as Tehran honors its obligations.

Both Mogherini and Gabriel acknowledged that Iran had fully lived up to its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as the nuclear accord is called, the state news agency IRNA reported. They also said Iran should be allowed to benefit from the economic dividends of the deal reached with the US, the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany under which sanctions were lifted against Tehran.

Gabriel said on Thursday Trump's reported plans to "decertify" the nuclear deal was alienating Washington's European allies and pushing them towards Russia and China.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also held a phone conversation over the agreement with his American counterpart Rex Tillerson, Russia's TASS news agency reported. "Lavrov drew attention to the fact that Tehran abides by all its commitments on the JCPOA and stressed that the other co-authors must adhere to the document," Russia's Foreign Ministry said of the conversation.

Separately, Lavrov expressed doubt about the legal basis for the US to withdraw from the nuclear deal. Lavrov, who was attending a joint press conference with the visiting Minister for External Affairs of Burundi Alain Aime Nyamitwe in Moscow, said the JCPOA had been "approved by the UN Security Council resolution" and is "subject to mandatory implementation."

Trump's decision could put Boeing's recent $20-billion deal with Iranian airlines in jeopardy - not to mention the 100,000 jobs it could create for Americans. That's two campaign promises Trump is betraying in order to please Israel. Good job, Trump.