The Affordable Care Act was one of President Barack Obama’s biggest accomplishments during his eight years in office.
It is also one of the first things that President-elect Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress have vowed change when Trump takes office in January. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday repealing the ACA — or Obamacare as it is popularly known — is “pretty high on our agenda as you know. I would be shocked if we didn’t move forward and keep our commitment to the American people.”
House Republicans have held more than 60 votes to repeal the law. Without Obama in the Oval Office, experts expect Trump and Congress to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, but with what exactly?
That’s tough part, especially since about 20 million people have gained health insurance through the ACA, according to government estimates from March.
And that number could rise before Trump’s inauguration.
Health & Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell tweeted that on Wednesday, the day after the election, had the highest enrollment numbers this period. Obamacare enrollment for 2017 opened on Nov. 1 with sharp increases in premiums. For now, open enrollment continues through Jan. 31.