VICE PRESIDENT Joe Biden put it best: “This is a big fucking deal.” His blunt appraisal was picked up by a microphone at the 2010 ceremony where President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, or ACA. The law was the biggest step toward national health insurance in the United States since the enactment of Medicare in 1965.
FUZZY MATH: If Trump wants to keep popular parts of the Affordable Care Act, such as the pre-existing coverage rule, he will have to find a way to make it pay for insurers.
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But the ACA and many Obama’s signature policies are now at risk. Donald Trump, the president-elect, has repeatedly vowed to “repeal and replace” Obamacare and napalm the Democrat’s approach to immigration, the environment and Iran, among other things. With Republicans now controlling Congress, Trump is in a good position to get most of what he wants. But some parts of Obama’s legacy will fall more easily than others, Because of how Washington works, change can come slowly, even after a political revolution.