HIALEAH, FLA. (WSVN) - With the election of Donald Trump, one hot topic on the minds of many is what will happen with Obamacare?’ 7News visited an Obamacare enrollment center in Hialeah to learn what the possibilities are during Trump’s presidency.
Several people who were at the enrollment center expressed concerns, but employees are trying to calm their clients down, knowing that, in the short-term, things will not change.
“Repealing and replacing the disaster known as Obamacare,” Donald Trump said at one of his campaign rallies.
Since he was nominated as the next president of the United States, the phones have been ringing off the hook at the Sunshine Life and Health Obamacare enrollment center in Miami, Wednesday. “Very worried about it,” said Florencia Treve with Sunshine Life and Health Advisors. “They said, ‘What’s gonna happen with Obamacare?'”
Clients who depend on having insurance are worried that they won’t have it anymore. “My husband has heart problems, and we really need insurance,” said Sheri Montesdeoca, who was at the office signing up for Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act.
Montesdeoca said the Affordable Care Act is now her only option. “Just last night, I said if Trump’s elected, we have an appointment tomorrow with Obamacare,” she said. “I didn’t know whether to come or not.”
The owner of Sunshine Life and Health Advisors said she’s been trying to calm the fears. “Let’s just keep working as if nothing has happened,” said owner Odalys Arebalo. “Obamacare is not gonna end from one second to another. We’ll be having a conference call in a little while.”
Arebalo said they enroll about 80,000 people a year in Obamacare health plans. “Some people have started panicking, thinking Obamacare is gonna disappear from one day to another, and we’re just telling them to calm down, that any modification, any type of changes will happen gradually.”
Making the changes will be complicated. “These are the kinds of difficult questions that the president elect, Trump, will inherit,” said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, “particularly when you consider the consequences of that decision, which include stripping health care from 20, 22 million Americans.”
Republicans have already started the talk about repealing Obamacare. “We’ve already had placement plans on the shelf. The voters don’t need to worry about their 25-year-old or younger staying on their policies or preexisting conditions. We’ve dealt with those,” said New York Rep. Chris Collins. “I believe, number one, repeal and replace Obamacare.”
Astraf Alli who was signing up for the Affordable Care Act said he needs his policy because he has a bad kidney. “I might be a little worried, but I do hope that there will be some substitute that will come by to help us,” he said.
Experts said this is not going to be very complicated for a Republican Congress and for Trump to repeal Obamacare. What will happen is officials will cut off funding for Obamacare and then put their own plan into place. This whole process would be expected to take some time.
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