Trump pushes Obamacare repeal as law's popularity improves

President Trump is facing fresh political challenges on healthcare after squandering Obamacare's unpopularity on a Republican alternative the voters like even less.

Trump is pressing Republican allies in Congress to pass the American Health Care Act, encouraging them to make whatever changes are necessary to advance a package that repeals and replaces Obamacare in a bid to reduce premiums and increase choice.

But in a stark reversal after years of political advantage, the president and his party are on the defensive on healthcare with the majority of voters, public opinion polls show.

The evolving Republican bill is hampered by sharply low ratings, while appreciation for the troubled Affordable Care Act is on the rise.

That points to trouble ahead if Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill can't reset the health care debate as they head toward pushing through reform legislation on a party-line vote, as the Democrats did before them.