US President Barack Obama called on congressional Democrats Wednesday to “fight” to preserve his signature health care reform, with its future in doubt as Donald Trump’s incoming administration vowed a swift repeal of the controversial law.
Obamacare, the fruit of an eight-year drive to extend medical coverage to tens of millions of Americans, will come under sustained assault when Trump takes office on January 20 with Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress.
But the debate over US health care began in earnest Wednesday at the highest levels, with Obama and Vice President-elect Mike Pence making duelling visits to Capitol Hill to urge their legislative foot soldiers to gird for battle.
Certain elements of Obamacare remain popular, notably the provisions barring companies from refusing coverage due to pre-existing conditions and allowing children to retain coverage on family plans through age 26.
Repeal and then what?
Republican opposition in general to Obamacare is clear – “They broke the health care system,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said of Obama’s administration – but his party’s prescription to fix it is not.
Ryan has proposed a tax credit system as a possible replacement, but the costs to government and individuals remain vague.
The White House is betting that American voters will revolt if Trump moves to strip millions of their coverage with no viable alternative – forcing the incoming president to confront the most radical reformers within his own party.
While Pence addressed the issue gingerly in Congress, he stressed that Trump would make the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act one of the administration’s top priorities.‘A little queasy’
Republican legislators are eager to take charge after eight years spent fighting against Obama’s policies.
But some are wary that white working-class Americans, who helped send them to office, may bear the brunt of any reforms.
Dismantling Obamacare could also have knock-on effects for funding health care for retirees, a group essential to the Republican Party’s survival.
In these two issues, Democrats see pressure points they hope to exploit in defense of Obama’s plan.
“It’s not surprising to me that there are some Republicans who are now a little queasy about the prospect of the impact that repealing Obamacare would have on their own supporters,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
