What Did Trumps Health Care Executive Order Do?

President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that he said would begin “saving the American people from the nightmare of Obamacare.” There’s a lot that’s still uncertain about how the order will change the health law. Here’s what we know so far.

Is Obamacare repealed now?

“I just keep hearing repeal-replace, repeal-replace,” Mr. Trump said in the signing ceremony. “Well, we’re starting that process.”

If it’s a start, it’s largely a ceremonial one. The Affordable Care Act remains the law of the land, and none of the proposed changes would substantially alter its main provisions. The executive order could result in higher insurance premiums for some Obamacare customers and lower premiums for less regulated coverage for those who want to try new insurance options. It could cause some insurers to exit some markets in the long-term.r

But the rules governing Obamacare insurance, the subsidies to help middle-income people buy it, the expansion of Medicaid to more poor adults, and Obamacare’s many other provisions touching health and health insurance remain the law.

The executive order could result in real changes for some people in the insurance market. But those changes are not the same thing as eliminating the health care law.

Did any laws change?

Not yet. The executive order has no force of law itself. It instead asked three federal agencies to consider possible new regulations that could help achieve certain goals. It is not clear what those rules will say. Generally, issuing new regulations takes several months, including a period of public comment.

None of the proposed changes to regulation are specifically tied to Obamacare. But they would alter the rules for parts of the insurance system that the Affordable Care Act didn’t touch, as a way of offering more Americans access to those types of insurance.

What will this mean for people who get insurance from work?

If you are insured by a large company that offers insurance, there should be few effects. But the order might make it easier for your employer to give you pretax money if you want to buy your own insurance.

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