President Barack Obama threw a challenge to Republicans as President-elect Donald Trump's administration prepares to take office in January: if you can improve Obamacare, more power to you.

During a White House press conference Monday, Obama said policy issues like the federal healthcare law passed in 2010 have become rhetoric for Republicans who oppose Obama's view on them. But he admitted that Obamacare can always be made better.

"If they can come up with something better that actually works and a year or two after they've replaced the Affordable Care Act with their own plan, that 25 million people have health insurance and it's cheaper and better and running smoothly, I'll be the first one to say, 'That's great, congratulations,'" Obama said.

The president then warned Republicans to tread cautiously before making rash decisions concerning the healthcare law.

"If, on the other hand, whatever they're proposing results in millions of people losing coverage and results in people who already had health insurance losing protections that were contained in the legislation, then we're going to have a problem," he said.

"If things get worse, then the American people will figure that out pretty quick. And if things get better, then more power to him and I'll be the first to congratulate him."

It was reported last month that Obamacare premiums are skyrocketing in 2017, with the average increase being 25 percent in the 39 states served by the federal marketplace.

"Healthcare costs generally have gone up a significantly slower rate since Obamacare was passed than they did before, which has saved the federal treasury hundreds of billions of dollars," Obama said Monday.