President Barack Obama Friday said he would be happy to support a replacement to his signature healthcare reform law if presented with a fully formed plan that would provide good coverage.
“They can call it whatever they want,” Obama said during a live-streamed interview with online news site Vox, “They can call it Trumpcare or McConnellcare or Ryancare,” Obama said, referring to President-elect Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan. “If it actually works, I will be the first one to say, 'Great.' "
The interview came the same day as Obama published a piece in the New England Journal of Medicine saying repealing the law without a replacement ready would be “simply put, irresponsible.”
In the interview, Obama seemed to cast doubt on the possibility of Republicans agreeing on a replacement, though. GOP leaders have been slowly backtracking on their rhetoric against the ACA as advocates raise the concern of as many as 30 million people losing coverage. The party is at odds over what the replacement should include and how to pay for popular elements they hope to preserve such as coverage for pre-existing conditions and the ability for parents to keep children on their plans until age 26.
The president argued he had no “pride of authorship” over the law that colloquially bears his name, adding that he wasn't the one who dubbed it “Obamacare.” He tried to dispel the notion he was trying to prevent a repeal in hopes of preserving his own legacy.
