Republicans explore idea of Obamacare piggybank

Republicans are searching for a way to capture savings from repealing Obamacare in a piggybank they could later use to fund a replacement.

It's not clear how or if such a maneuver would work, but if Republicans are successful, it could overcome the tricky political problem of paying for whatever health reform they try to put in the Affordable Care Act's place.

The idea is to bankroll an Obamacare replacement that would start several years down the road with funds derived from repealing the law itself. A repeal bill Congress passed early this year, and President Obama vetoed, would have saved $516 billion over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

If Republicans find a way to set that money aside, in a bank account of sorts, they could use it to pay for measures that are more palatable to conservatives but still expensive, such as the age-based tax credits House Speaker Paul Ryan has proposed to help Americans buy health insurance.

Lobbyists and congressional aides say the idea is among many proposals that Republican members of Congress are exploring, as they work on plans for repealing and replacing President Obama's healthcare law once President-elect Trump takes office in January.