Trump faces obstacles over Obamacare

New York, Thursday

US President-elect Donald Trump wants to repeal and replace outgoing President Barack Obama’s historic healthcare overhaul, also known as Obamacare. But some experts said that might not be so easy.

The landmark legislation was seen as part of Obama’s legacy, as the controversial health care plan aims to get health insurance to millions of low income people. Critics have blasted the plan as imposing unfair and very expensive tax burdens on the middle class.

The Republican Party (GOP) has during the Obama administration called for the repeal and replacement of the legislation, and now Trump said he aims to make this a priority. Some experts said pulling the legislation may be easier said than done.

“The GOP would like to repeal all of Obamacare and then start anew with a different approach. But it is not clear they have the majority support in the Senate to do this,” Brookings Institution’s senior fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

Indeed, it remains unclear whether there is an adequate replacement for a system that now insures over 1 million Americans, and some lawmakers are reluctant to kill the programme and leave Obamacare subscribers in limbo.

Some Republicans already have introduced an amendment to delay repeal until a replacement is provided. They want details on what comes next so they don’t get blamed if millions of people lose their health insurance, West said.

The problem is each provision affects big parts of the health sector. Getting rid of Obamacare may lead people without insurance to go to hospital emergency rooms for medical care.

This will create enormous financial problems for hospitals, he said. Part of the healthcare law stipulates that all Americans must purchase healthcare coverage or pay a fine, a very controversial measure that critics have blasted as government inappropriately overstepping its boundaries.

Removing the individual mandate means many healthy young people will get rid of their coverage, which will leave insurance companies with sicker, older people as customers.

That will drive their costs upward, West said. At the same time, Republicans would like to repeal a law that requires insurance companies to have a physical office in states where they operate, something that free market advocates have blasted as limiting competition in the industry.

It will take 60 votes in the Senate to do this, which Republicans are not likely to have since most Democrats will oppose this change. — Xinhua

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