After Meeting With Obama, Trump Says He May Keep Parts of Obamacare

On Friday, Donald Trump spoke to the Wall Street Journal, giving his first interview since becoming president-elect. During the interview, Trump said he would consider leaving parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, intact.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump favors the ACA provisions which prevent insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions as well as allowing children to stay on their parent’s health insurance plans until they are 26. “I like those very much,” Trump told the publication.

Despite previous statements from the Trump campaign that Trump would call for a full repeal of the ACA, Trump said that after meeting with Obama, he is now considering keeping parts of the act. “I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that,” Trump said. “Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced.”

While this news offers a glimmer of hope for people with pre-existing conditions and those covered under the ACA, it’s too early to know what healthcare under the Trump administration will look like.

According to Business Insider, Trump would have a hard time repealing the entirety of Obamacare, as Republicans do not have the majority they need in Congress to override a filibuster. This would make it difficult to repeal parts of the act that protect people with preexisting conditions, those on their parent’s plan and the restriction on lifetime maximums. Parts of the act that deal with government finances, such as funding for state expansions of Medicaid, however, could easily be repealed through the budget reconciliation process.

The Mighty will continue covering healthcare under the Trump administration and will provide more information as soon as it becomes available. For updates, you can follow Jordan Davidson, our news editor, on The Mighty, as well as on Twitter, for updates when news articles come out. 

Photo Credit: Michael Vadon