As the dust settles from the 2016 election, experts are looking at what policies a President Trump will enact. Trump ran on a platform of repealing Obamacare so it seems for certain that his government will want to make changes to Obamacare.
“This might be the most interesting election in the history of the country,” said Bill Crowley, political analyst for WPTV. “I don’t think there’s any question that Obamacare will be either repealed or dramatically changed.”
Some physicians, like Dr. Kenneth Beer, are excited about that prospect.
“As a physician, Obamacare has been overly intrusive and hasn’t helped patient care at all,” Beer said.
While doctors like Beer are embracing change, many of the 22 million Americans who got health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act fear they may lose it.
“From what I heard this morning, people are worried about it,” said Louisa McQueeny with Covering Florida.
McQueeney helped hundreds of Floridians get health care for the first time in their lives under Obamacare.
“You can see it in people’s eyes it’s financial protection and it’s sleeping at night,” McQueeney said.
Repealing Obamacare altogether won't be a simple task for Republicans. Several aspects of the Affordable Care Act are hugely popular, like the fact that 26-year-olds can still be on their parents insurance and that people with preexisting conditions are able to get health insurance.
“It’s going to be very difficult for Republicans to take those things away and not lose big at the polls later,” Crowely said.
The question is - how do Republicans save those benefits, scrap the rest and pay for it?
“Republicans have not been very clear on what that would be,” Crowely said.
Many critics of Obamacare say it's limiting choices and is costing too much. Patients in Florida should expect a 27 percent rate hike next year.
Regardless, the Affordable Care Act is currently still the law of the land and open enrollment period is ongoing.
If you have questions about enrollment you can contact Cover Florida for more information.