Trump says he won’t rule out ‘amended’ Obamacare
In apparent u-turn on campaign pledge, president-elect says he is in favor of some provisions in Obama's landmark legislation
NEW YORK, United States — US President-elect Donald Trump said he will consider an “amended” version of Barack Obama’s signature health care law — a shift in position after repeatedly vowing on the campaign trail that he would repeal the measure.
Trump explained in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Friday that his shift came after White House talks Thursday with President Barack Obama, who asked him to consider preserving parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
“Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced,” Trump told the newspaper.
“I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that.”
Trump told the paper he is inclined to keep in place a ban on insurers rejecting patients with preexisting conditions, as well as a clause that lets parents keep their children on their own policies until the age of 26.
“I like those very much,” the Journal quoted the president-elect as saying.
Trump’s repeated attacks on the law were a central focus of his campaign, using it to needle rival Hillary Clinton, as insurance premiums rose for some enrollees in battleground states.
But, while the ACA has faced unanimous Republican opposition since its enactment in 2010, the question of how GOP lawmakers could replace it has remained unanswered.
The law is a signature achievement of Obama’s presidency and the president vetoed Republican legislation last year which would have gutted central provisions.
Trump also indicated that he would not make good on his campaign threat to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Clinton for using a private email server during her stint as Obama’s first secretary of state.
“It’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought, because I want to solve health care, jobs, border control, tax reform,” he said.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report