The Trump administration pitches its health care proposal as killing fewer trees than ObamaCare


President Trump loves to show off piles of paper.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And then there was that time Trump showed off mountains of paper as evidence that he had withdrawn from his business interests —although some people thought these might have been blank:
On Tuesday, Trump's administration rolled out new piles of paper for people to look at:
Sec. Price offers show and tell on Trumpcare. On the right is the ObamaCare Bill on the left is Trumpcare bill.A post shared by April D. Ryan (@adr1600) on Mar 7, 2017 at 10:53am PST
This time, Trump's point wasn't about how much paper he used, but rather how little. "As you'll see, this [ObamaCare] bill right here was the bill that was introduced in 2009 and '10 by the previous administration," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. "Notice how thick that is. Some of you will recall that I actually turned the pages and went through that piece of legislation in a YouTube."
But lest the physical piles not sufficiently awe the audience, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer also emphasized that the new health care plan is only 123 pages long, with 57 pages dedicated only to repealing the Affordable Care Act. ObamaCare, by comparison, is 974 pages long. Think of the trees!
Not everyone is impressed by the display, though. "Anyone who understands how health care [works] knows this is not a good sign," said Huffington Post reporter Christina Wilkie.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 30, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - strawberry fields forever, secret files, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously sparse cartoons about further DOGE cuts
Cartoons Artists take on free audits, report cards, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozens
Speed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction
Speed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published