Why Trump says he'll keep parts of Obamacare, after all
Donald Trump is willing to keep key parts of Obamacare, he told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
In his first interview since the election, President-elect Trump indicated that he might compromise on the Affordable Care Act. Though he maintained that 鈥測ou can鈥檛 use it鈥� in its current state, Mr. Trump said he would consider keeping the part of the law that allows children to stay on their parents鈥� plans until the age of 26, as well as the provision that prevents insurers from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions.
鈥淚 like these very much,鈥� he said.
This is a marked shift from Trump鈥檚 approach on the campaign trail, where he repeatedly vowed to repeal the law. One reason for this may be Trump鈥檚 conversation with President Obama at the White House on Thursday 鈥� though he might struggle to repeal these particular provisions anyway.
鈥淚 told him I will look at his suggestions, and ,鈥� Trump told The Wall Street Journal, explaining that Mr Obama had indicated certain areas of the Act to keep.
The Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, is Obama鈥檚 signature healthcare reform law. Introduced in 2010 to provide a path to health coverage for uninsured Americans, the ACA now serves more than 20 million Americans. The percentage of Americans without since the program began two years ago. However, the Act has been contentious, with Republicans pointing to the 25 percent increase in the average price of a plan this year as a sign that the law is unworkable. Congressional Republicans have attempted to appeal Obamacare more than 50 times since it was signed into law.
Uncertainty about Trump鈥檚 healthcare plans led more than 100,000 Americans to sign up for coverage on Wednesday during the open enrollment period.
Insurance companies have also been thrown for a loop by the election of Trump. Having spent hundreds of millions of dollars to reorient their business models toward the Affordable Care Act, they stand to lose significant amounts of money if the Act is repealed.
Nor do they have contingency plans, because most didn't expect a Trump victory.
鈥淭his wasn鈥檛 on the sheet鈥� of election outcomes that executives considered, Mark Bertolini, the CEO of Aetna, told the New York Times. 鈥淲e had .鈥�
Trump鈥檚 willingness to keep important parts of the bill may come as a relief, then.聽He has also indicated a commitment to replacing Obamacare, promising a seamless transition between the Affordable Care Act and his healthcare law.
鈥淲e鈥檒l repeal it and replace it,鈥� Trump said in a interview with CBS鈥檚 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� to be broadcast on Sunday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to do it simultaneously 鈥� it鈥檒l be just fine,鈥� he added, saying that Americans .
In his interview with the Wall Street Journal, he even suggested that Obamacare could be 鈥渁mended.鈥�
It鈥檚 not clear that Trump could repeal the parts of the Act Obama suggested .The Democratic minority in the Senate can block the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. And though parts of the bill can be defunded under a process called reconciliation, those provisions cannot, meaning they鈥檙e likely to remain law.
