Trending News Today: Specifics Lacking in Trump Executive Order to Repeal ACA

President Donald Trump issued his first executive order on Friday that directed government agencies to scale back the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as soon as possible, according to The New York Times. Trump signed the order within hours of being sworn in, and before the inaugural balls. Although specific information was not included, the language allows the agencies to change aspects of the health law that could be considered costly for insurers.

Although repealing the ACA has been the top priority for the Trump administration, it was nearly left out of his inaugural address. Instead, Trump mentioned jobs, immigration, and trade, and the White House’s website did not include healthcare among the issue section, according to Kaiser Health News. However, the Department of Health and Human Services’ website still includes instructions about how to enroll in ACA plans.

During an interview, Trump’s counselor, Kellyanne Conway, said that the administration may not enforce the ACA provision that requires all Americans to have health insurance. She has also said that during this transition time, Americans will not lose health coverage, according to Reuters. Although the administration said that no one will lose coverage, not enforcing this mandate would likely increase the uninsured rate due to not facing a penalty.