President Trump’s efforts to work across the isle with Democrats to fix healthcare is a good idea. Indeed, with the slim Republican majority in the Senate, a bi-partisan solution is not only smart politics but it appears the only way anything will get through that chamber.

However, his unilateral move to cut off federal subsidies to insurance companies is not likely to win much support from Democrats or even his Republicans. Indeed, lawmakers, including Republicans, have already expressed alarm at the move as it is likely to drive up healthcare costs for working poor Americans. While the Affordable Healthcare Act mandated costly insurance for many, without federal subsidies, those insurance premiums will only become more expensive.

While it is possible that the president’s actions on Friday might actually spur a bipartisan fix in Congress, this sort of hasty unilateral action is poor politics and a shoddy approach to healthcare legislation. Healthcare is a cornerstone of the American economy and insurance is central in the lives of millions. It is literally keeping some of us alive.

Whether or not one approves of the Affordable Healthcare Act, its creation through a deliberative and open process is far preferable to what is going on now.

The American people deserve a real fix, not threats and not proverbial hand grenades lobbed in frustration as a solution to a complex issue.

Blowing up the system is not a fix.