NEW YORK, Nov. 12 (UPI) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he may leave portions of the Affordable Care Act in place upon entering office.
After promising to repeal and replace the 2010 health-care law known as Obamacare during his campaign, Trump said he may uphold some of its provisions in an exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal.
He said he planned to move “quickly” on making changes to the health initiative, but added he would consider maintaining the provision prohibiting insurance providers from denying customers with pre-existing conditions and another which allows children to remain on their parent’s insurance plans until age 26.
“I like those very much,” Trump said.
He revealed the willingness to compromise after a 90-minute meeting with President Barack Obama in which he asked Trump to reconsider his stance.
“I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that,” he said. “Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced.”
Trump echoed his sentiments in an interview with Lesley Stahl on CBS’s 60 Minutescalling the provision to prevent denial of insurance from patients with pre-existing conditions one of Obamacare’s “strongest assets.”
“We’re going to very much try to keep that. It adds cost but it’s very much something we’re going to try to keep,” he said.
Trump also promised a quick transition period to a replacement for the Affordable Care Act if it were to be repealed.
“We’re going to repeal it and replace it. We’re not going to have, like, a two-day period, and we’re not going to have a two-year period where there’s nothing,” he said. “It will be repealed and replaced and we’ll know. And it will be great health care for much less money.”
Trump’s presidential transition website was also edited to remove mention of curbing high drug prices and added a plan to “modernize Medicare,” the New York Times reported.
He also told the Wall Street Journal he plans to rely on vice president-elect, Mike Pence to “handle different areas of policy” and “be very much involved in health care.”
“Mike will have a big role. He’s very capable,” Trump said.
