king of prussia, pa.<u+2014> donald trump turned from attacking hillary clinton over her emails to focusing on voters<u+2019> pocketbook issues tuesday, denouncing president barack obama <u+2019>s health-care law and the recent rise in individual insurance premiums. the republican presidential nominee renewed his call to repeal and replace the law known as obamacare on the first day of the official sign-up period for coverage under the law, and in the wake of significant rate increases in many battleground states. <u+201c>obamacare means higher prices, fewer choices and lower quality,<u+201d> mr. trump said, promising to call a special session of congress to spur action on repealing the health-care law. <u+201c>it is a catastrophe.<u+201d> the event represented an effort to spotlight the health law<u+2019>s woes and build on the political edge mr. trump believes he has gained in recent days as mrs. clinton has been thrown on the defensive by new revelations about her email. the focus on the impact of the health-care law took the campaign into an unusual detour into policy and economic issues that are of direct concern to voters in a campaign that has been dominated by personal attacks. the event, before an invitation-only crowd in the suburbs of philadelphia, brought mr. trump and his vice presidential nominee, mike pence, to a battleground state that is crucial to his ability to win the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidency. but polls have shown him lagging behind democratic rival mrs. clinton in the state. pennsylvania has been hit hard by the premium increases under the health-care law. while the obama administration said last week rates would increase by an average of 25% across three dozen states that use healthcare.gov; in many states the market leader is raising rates by a far greater average: the individual-insurance market leader in pennsylvania is raising premiums by an average of 50%. <u+201c>the case has never been stronger for repeal,<u+201d> said mr. pence, speaking before mr. trump. <u+201c>this government takeover of health care we call obamacare is failing.<u+201d> the health-care issue had been addressed with little more than a raucous applause line at mr. trump<u+2019>s rallies. on tuesday, however, mr. pence laid out some of the clearest practical details from the campaign to date on how they would go about repealing the law, the core provisions of which have been in effect for three years. he acknowledged that his party<u+2019>s ability to strip the entire law hinged on getting strong majorities in both chambers of congress, and said there would be a transition period imposed to reduce disruption, particularly for people who currently have coverage under the law. mr. trump<u+2019>s comments on the health law put him head-to-head with obama administration officials touting the law around the country on tuesday. health and human services secretary sylvia mathews burwell called in for radio interviews in philadelphia as well as in other urban insurance markets targeted by the administration in texas and north carolina. she is emphasizing the law<u+2019>s tax credits that bring down the cost of coverage for people who qualify, and that largely blunt the impact of premium increases for those people. on the campaign trail, mrs. clinton has talked about the future of the law, rather than the sign-up push, and has said that while changes are needed she doesn<u+2019>t believe the law should be repealed. that is a position that many voters share, even those who dislike the law<u+2014>which is around half of voters, a figure that has barely shifted for six years. write to janet hook at janet.hook@wsj.com and louise radnofsky at louise.radnofsky@wsj.com
donald trump shifts attacks to obamacare, health-care costs  - wsj
janet hook louise radnofsky