What will happen to Obamacare?

The Obamacare exchanges are crumbling and may fail even before a repeal. Nearly three-fourths of the exchanges have already gone bankrupt, and many major insurers have left the market entirely. So, a crisis of health insurance may actually precede any actual action taken by Congress and the Trump administration.

To avert this catastrophe, the Trump administration may find itself in the ironic position of having to rescue Obamacare before repealing and replacing it. In the final analysis, any repeal of Obamacare will take a couple of years, and it will be a rocky course along the way.

Dr. Gianoli is an associate professor in the departments of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery and pediatrics at Tulane University School of Medicine and in private practice with the Ear and Balance Institute in Baton Rouge, La. He is also a member of the ENTtoday Editorial Advisory Board.