A day of triumph and tears
President Trump directs govt agencies to freeze regulations and take steps to weaken the Affordable Care Act
FIRST DAY IN THE OVAL
On his first day in the Oval office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at repealing Obamacare. The flagship health programme of the previous administration, Obamacare provides health insurance cover to those who do not receive medical insurance from their employers.
DISSENTING VOICES
In a show of disapproval, thousands joined protest marches around the world as President Donald Trump began his first day in office. Many places had largely female crowds protesting against his derogatory remarks about women during his campaign.
US President Donald Trump directed government agencies on Friday to freeze regulations and take steps to weaken Obamacare, using his first hours in the White House to make good on a campaign promise to start dismantling his predecessor’s healthcare law.
Heading into the Oval Office shortly after the conclusion of his inaugural parade, Mr Trump signed an order on the Affordable Care Act that urged government departments to “waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation” of provisions that imposed fiscal burdens on states, companies or individuals.
It also called for efforts to give states greater flexibility in implementing healthcare programmes while developing “a free and open market in interstate commerce for the offering of healthcare services and health insurance.”
Health experts had speculated that Mr Trump could expand exemptions from the so-called individual mandate, which requires Americans to carry insurance or face a penalty, or the requirement that employers offer coverage.
Experts also believe the administration could try to reduce the “essential benefits,” such as maternity care and mental health services, that insurance plans must cover. The White House did not provide further details about the executive order.
Mr Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer said the White House also directed an immediate regulatory freeze for all government agencies in a memo from Mr Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus. He did not offer details.
Repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, one of former President Barack Obama’s signature laws, was a central pledge for Mr Trump during the election.