Trump says he's willing to keep 2 key parts of Obamacare that he can't repeal anyway

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Donald Trump Obama

Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS

Trump and Obama shake hands in the Oval Office.

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday signaled he was willing to keep some parts of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, when he takes office, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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Trump told Gerard Baker and Monica Langley that he and President Barack Obama spoke about the law during their meeting on Thursday. Trump said he would consider keeping parts of it.

Trump said he is willing to keep the provisions of the law that prevent insurers from denying coverage due to a preexisting condition and that allow children to stay on their parents' health plan until they turn 26 years old, according to the Journal.

"I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that," Trump told the Journal.

Health policy experts have told Business Insider over the last few days that Republicans do not have the filibuster-proof majority needed to repeal these parts of the law, anyway.

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Through the budget reconciliation process - which would avoid a drawn out fight and filibuster by Democrats - Republicans can only adjust parts of the law that have to do with the federal government's finances.

These parts include the funding for Medicaid expansion given to states, subsidies for people who receive their health insurance through the ACA marketplaces, and money for outreach to get Americans to sign up through the exchanges.

They do not include statutory measures that include the two provisions Trump said he would consider or others like the inability of insurers to place lifetime limits on plans.

Trump has been in favor of keeping the pre-existing conditions measure before.

Trump's plans, even with these provisions kept, could leave roughly 20 million people without health insurance.

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