Reversing course: Donald Trump admits he will keep parts of Obamacare and plays down threat to ‘lock up’ Hillary Clinton
Ambivalent tone is a far cry from Trump’s sweeping rhetoric on the campaign trail, where he repeatedly vowed to repeal and replace Obamacare
President-elect Donald Trump reversed himself on completely eliminating the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature health law, saying instead he would keep two popular features and pledged no gap in coverage as it’s replaced.
In an interview with Lesley Stahl to air on Sunday on 60 Minutes, Trump said he would like to keep the portions of the law requiring coverage of pre-existing conditions and children living at home under the age of 26, according to excerpts of the interview released by CBS News.
I know how to do this stuff ... it’ll be great health care for much less money
The ban on insurers denying coverage to individuals who are sick “happens to be one of the strongest assets,” of the Affordable Care Act, Trump said. He acknowledged that keeping the provision allowing children to stay on their parents’ plans for a period of time “adds cost, but it’s very much something we’re going to try and keep”.
The president-elect said he plans to repeal the law, commonly known as Obamacare, and replace it new regulations “simultaneously”.
“I know how to do this stuff,” he said. “We’re going to repeal it and replace it. And 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. It will be repealed and replaced. I mean, you’ll know. And it’ll be great health care for much less money.”
In the same interview, Trump also avoided answering whether he would follow through on a campaign vow to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while 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.