Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Tuesday that the repeal and replacement of Obamacare would occur in three phases, a plan President Trump alluded to earlier in the day with a series of tweets.
Price, who made a surprise appearance at the White House daily briefing, said the first phase of the plan would focus on the replacement bill put forward in the House by Republicans this week. The bill has rankled conservatives who think it does not do enough to discard the system created by the Affordable Care Act.
The second phase of the plan would involve “regulatory modifications,” Price said.
The third would involve additional legislation that cannot be achieved through budget reconciliation, Price noted. Republicans had planned to pursue many of the changes to Obamacare through the budget reconciliation process, which would allow them to pass policy fixes without seeking many Democratic votes.
Price insisted the plan put out this week was designed to focus on patients first, arguing the plan is the best chance to repair Obamacare despite objections from conservatives.
