What's in a name?
Obama apparently told Trump to just rename ObamaCare to TrumpCare instead of repealing it
Former President Barack Obama doesn't care if his namesake health-care legislation becomes TrumpCare. In fact, he encourages it.
Obama apparently told President Trump to just change the Affordable Care Act's nickname instead of repealing it, CNN reports. "I said to the incoming president, 'Just change the name and claim that you made these wonderful changes,'" Obama said at a Democratic fundraiser Thursday night. "Because I didn't have pride of authorship, I just wanted people to have health care."
Getting rid of ObamaCare and replacing it with something better was a hallmark Trump campaign promise. And while President Trump hasn't exactly followed through, Obama pointed out at the fundraiser that Republicans have surgically removed key parts of the original law, per CNN. The GOP tax plan passed in December ended ObamaCare's individual mandate requiring Americans to have health insurance.
But Trump probably realized creating a sweeping health-care law wasn't easy, Obama said Thursday, adding that "we had actually thought it through and it's a hard thing to do." So keep the ACA and call it RyanCare, call it ReaganCare, call it TrumpCare — Obama says there's nothing to the name.