Republicans are working on a “two-track approach” to end Obamacare, but are also hoping to take steps to ensure people don’t immediately lose their coverage, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Wednesday.
One track is for Congress to repeal much of the Affordable Care Act using the budget reconciliation process. The other is for Trump to unravel parts of the law using his executive authority.
“We’re working out right now with the the House staff and in concert with legislative leadership a two-track approach to ensuring it is an orderly transition as the president-elect has directed,” Pence said after a Wednesday morning meeting with the House Republican Conference.
Republicans still haven’t decided exactly how they’ll transition people out of Obamacare plans and how they might replace the law, but Pence said he and Trump are committed above all to making sure coverage is maintained during the repeal and replace process.
Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan didn’t offer any new details about what Republicans might replace the Affordable Care Act with or how long the phase-out period will be. Asked for more specifics about what Trump prefers as a replacement, Pence pointed to an early November campaign speech he made in Pennsylvania, where he hit hard against Obamacare and committed to replacing it.
“His commitment was very clear in that that we will … work with the Congress, but also use executive authority to ensure that it is an orderly transition,” Pence said.
Ryan agreed that a key priority is ensuring a smooth transition out of Obamacare and into a replacement.
“The point is in 2017 we don’t want people to be caught with nothing,” Ryan said.
