The former Goldman Sachs executive running Trump's economic team is also playing a big role in the repeal of Obamacare
According to a profile of Cohn's first few weeks in the White House from the New York Times' Kate Kelly, Cohn has not only taken a large role in the new administration when it comes to matters such as job growth and regulation, but has been involved in the Trump administration's plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.
Cohn - a long-time Democrat - has had meetings with Republicans leaders including House Speaker Paul Ryan, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, the head of the Financial Services Committee, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy about the replacement bill, according to the report.
During his career at Goldman Sachs, Cohn did not have a job related to healthcare, instead, working in mortgages and commodity trading before becoming CEO Lloyd Blankfein's right-hand man. Despite the lack of direct health policy experience, it should be noted that the ACA does have significant tax and economic elements to it that Cohn could bring expertise to.
The Times report said that Cohn is also considering non-economic statutory parts of the law as well - citing such provisions as one that allows children to stay on their parents' insurance until they turn 26 and another regarding special enrollment periods that allow people to sign up for ACA-based exchange plans outside of the two-month open enrollment period.
Cohn is also working with a "healthcare specialist" on the Obamacare plan, but did not specify the role of that person, said the report.
The insight gives a sense of the leadership involved in the Republican crafting of a replacement plan. While two plans have been introduced by GOP lawmakers during this legislative session, a complete, cohesive replacement has not yet been put forward by the GOP leadership.
Additionally, the report makes no mention of newly-confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price, who Trump said during a press conference in January was involved in the crafting of a replacement. Reports have refuted that characterization, saying that the administration was keeping Price away from the replacementt planning process so as not to have a conflict between his proposal and the administration's work during his confirmation hearings.
Price himself would not confirm that he was working with the president on Obamacare during his confirmation testimony to the Senate Finance Committee.
It is so far unclear what Price's role will be in the replacement process now that he has been confirmed.
Both the House and the Senate approved a budget resolution in January that would allow Republicans to repeal large swaths of the ACA that impact the federal budget, however, there are a number of procedural steps still needed to repeal the law.