John Oliver's "Catheter Cowboy" Returns to Explain Trumpcare

John Oliver is going to educate the president about his own healthcare bill through another TV ad. In Sunday’s Last Week Tonight on HBO, Oliver explained that although the American Health Care Act, aka Trumpcare, is one of the first notable Republican acts since the start of Trump’s presidency, it contains little of what he promised on the campaign trail.

It doesn’t look to provide better coverage at a lower cost like Trump promised, and the president has appeared largely absent from the bill’s drafting. Republicans in Congress, though, have been rather positive about the bill. Because it’s presented as a budget bill, Democratic senators can’t filibuster as it passes through Congress, which would have meant Republicans needing 60 votes to get it past the senate.

When Fox & Friends criticized the bill for not referencing any plans to allow insurance companies to sell policies across state lines, avid viewer took to Twitter to set the record straight:

“Since he is clearly still watching Fox & Friends, we might actually be able to help here,” Oliver said.

Last month, Oliver announced plans to air an ad explaining the nuclear triad to Trump. The ad, which aired between 8.30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News in the D.C. area, was made with the thinking that as Trump tweets a lot about what he sees on TV, an ad could serve as an effective vehicle to get information in front of him. The “Catheter Cowboy” character mimics the sort of pharmaceutical ads found on daytime TV.

“Saddle up partner, for tonight, you ride again!” Oliver said.

In a new ad set to air in the D.C. area on Wednesday morning, “Catheter Cowboy” explains who will be hurt most by Trumpcare, and how it could hurt his popularity.

Oliver explained in a previous episode that Trump’s promises to introduce a better version of Obamacare that keeps everyone covered simply don’t match with the Republican leadership’s descriptions of an entitlement-cutting healthcare bill. Millions will be left without coverage, something Trump was adamant would not happen.

“We are defederalizing entitlement, block granting it back to the states and capping its growth rate,” Paul Ryan told The Hugh Hewitt Show last week. “That’s never been done before.”

Essentially, Ryan is describing cutting Medicaid by shifting it to the states. One analysis found that this could result in up to $370 billion worth of cuts, and anywhere from six to 15 million are expected to lose insurance.

The bill also disproportionately benefits the wealthy while cutting tax credits for many. One county-by-county analysis found that Woodward County, Oklahoma will receive an average $13,350 in tax credits by 2020 under the current system. In the proposed Republican system, that figure drops to just $4,000.

Oliver has described the new system as “like a thong” because it will not provide adequate coverage. But beyond breaking a campaign promise, there’s a good reason why Trump really should care about this: Voters expected to lose $5,000 or more supported Trump by a margin of 59 to 36 percent.

Last Week Tonight airs Sundays on HBO.