The administration is poised to issue a rule making it easier for small businesses to band together and create insurance plans that skirt many requirements of the Affordable Care Act.
The Justice Department’s challenge of the constitutionality of major parts of the law imperils popular protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Projections worsened over the past year for Medicare and Social Security’s old-age program, showing no sign of the economic surge promised after last year’s tax cuts.
The president said he would promote more competition among pharmaceutical companies, but didn’t call for Medicare to directly negotiate lower prices or consumers to be able to import low-cost drugs.
Breaking a campaign promise, President Trump will not push for the plan, which was popular with voters but not other Republican politicians, when he speaks on Friday about soaring prescription costs.
The I.R.S. has started sending penalty notices to businesses that failed to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate, angering Republicans and business groups.