Should-Read: Peter Orszag: Here’s How Trump Will Change Obamacare

Should-Read: Peter Orszag: Here’s How Trump Will Change Obamacare: “I expect to see Republicans stage a dramatic early vote to repeal…

…just for show…. The Republicans’ desire to hold an early partisan vote repealing the ACA… seems too strong to resist. The repeal will probably be set to become effective in the future, perhaps 2019 or 2020. This vote will probably be closer than many people think…. For the White House, however, the closeness of the vote will be a feature rather than a bug, because it will create the impression that the vote is significant….

The hard work of a creating comprehensive replacement is then likely to get bogged down in legislative muck. But the administration can use its expansive waiver authority to allow states to experiment with both Medicaid and the individual insurance markets. As these 50 flowers bloom, President Trump could at some point declare victory and assert that the ACA has been sufficiently reformed…. In response to any particular complaint in a specific state, the administration could simply shrug its shoulders and direct the inquiry to the relevant governor.