Trump hints at ACA compromise

In his first interview since winning the presidency, President-elect Donald Trump told the Wall Street Journal he favors keep certain popular portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), though he campaigned on a promise to fully repeal the law.

What he said he will keep are the provisions banning insurers from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions and allowing children to stay on their parents’ health plans until they reach the age of 26.

“I like those very much,” Trump said.

Their inclusion in his healthcare plans isn’t much of a surprise. The House Republicans’ latest ACA replacement plan called for maintaining “continuous coverage” for people with preexisting conditions, though that protection would be forfeited if someone opted not to buy insurance during a one-time open enrollment period.

Trump offered little else in terms of concrete details on health policy, saying the ACA could be “amended, or repealed and replaced.” His softer tone came after his Nov. 10 White House meeting with President Barack Obama, who Trump said encouraged him to reconsider a full repeal.

“I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that,” Trump said.

Trump’s transition team updated the incoming administration’s health care policy goals two days after winning the election. Short on specifics, the list does include repealing the ACA, using state-run high-risk pools to cover sicker patients, and “maximizing flexibility” for Medicaid, which may refer to his campaign proposal to turn it into a state block grant program.

“The administration recognizes that the problems with the U.S. healthcare system did not begin with—and will not end with the repeal of—the ACA,” the transition team’s list of goals said.

Trump has tapped Andrew Bremberg, a former HHS official under George W. Bush, to lead the new administration’s transition plans for the agency.

An earlier study by the Commonwealth Fund and the RAND Corporation said the effects of repealing the ACA would cause nearly 19.7 million people to lose coverage and increase the average out-of-pocket costs on the individual market to $4,700 per person.