Trump says he's willing to keep 2 key parts of Obamacare that he couldn't repeal anyway
Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday signaled he was willing to keep some parts of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, when he takes office, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Trump told Gerard Baker and Monica Langley that he and President Barack Obama spoke about the law during their meeting on Thursday. Trump said he would consider keeping parts of it.
Trump said he is willing to keep the provisions of the law that prevent insurers from denying coverage because of a preexisting condition and that allow children to stay on their parents' health plan until they turn 26, according to The Journal.
"I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that," Trump told The Journal.
Health policy experts have told Business Insider over the last few days that Republicans do not have the filibuster-proof majority needed to repeal these parts of the law anyway.
Through the budget reconciliation process — which would avoid a drawn-out fight and filibuster by Democrats — Republicans can adjust only parts of the law that have to do with the federal government's finances.
These parts include the funding for Medicaid expansion given to states, subsidies for people who receive their health insurance through the ACA marketplaces, and money for outreach to get Americans to sign up through the exchanges.
They do not include statutory measures such as the two provisions Trump said he would consider, or others like the inability of insurers to place lifetime limits on plans.
Trump has said he favors keeping the preexisting-conditions measure.
Trump's plans, even with these provisions kept, could leave roughly 20 million people without health insurance.
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