Obama believed that his greatest legacy would be the reform of the American healthcare system, approved when he had the support of the majority in Congress. With Trump’s election, his greatest achievement may be at risk. As a candidate, Trump promised to simply abolish “Obamacare.” However, after being elected, he has already changed his tone and admitted to keeping what he called the “good parts” of the program.
In a recent interview on the “60 Minutes” program, Trump stated that he intends to maintain the clause that prevents health plans from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. He also committed to preserving the right for parents to keep their children up to 26 years old on their family plans.
This is a sign that the elected president knows it is not worth simply abolishing a law that was discussed and approved by both parties. Like any major change, it did not come out perfect and undoubtedly needs reforms.
Furthermore, Trump knows that he cannot leave about 22 million newly insured individuals without any type of assistance overnight. Any change proposed by him and approved by Congress will have to be implemented gradually. That is, there will be a transition period.
Since Trump spent the entire campaign saying he would abolish Obamacare but never presented a proposal to replace it, it is difficult to know what is coming. However, considering that Congress has been discussing possible changes to the law for a long time, there is hope that the changes will be for the better and will equally benefit the population.