Mr Donald J. Trump told the Journal it was his hour-and-a-half meeting with Mr Barack H. Obama that had made him reconsider his calls for an all-out repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Photo: BBC NEWS

Mr Trump, who has pledged repeatedly to repeal the 2010 law, signalled he was receptive to a compromise after visiting the White House on Thursday.

He told the Wall Street Journal he favours keeping two main parts of the bill because "I like those very much".
One is a ban on insurers denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.

The other provision that the president-elect told the newspaper he favours allows young adults to be insured on their parents' policies.

Mr Trump told the Journal it was his hour-and-a-half meeting with Mr Obama that had made him reconsider his calls for an all-out repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

"I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that," the president-elect said at Trump Tower.

During the election campaign, Mr Trump said the government-run health insurance marketplace was "a total disaster" and "a catastrophe".

"Obamacare is just blowing up," Mr Trump said only last month, while promising his own plan would deliver "great healthcare at a fraction of the cost".

During the campaign Mr Trump did not offer much detail on what he envisaged would be Obamacare's replacement.

The Republican's plan included tax-deductible health savings accounts and an ability for insurers to sell coverage across state lines.

His about-face on Friday comes amid a surge in applications to join the plan from Americans possibly fearful it is about to be overturned.