KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. — Donald Trump delivered a scathing critique of the Affordable Care Act on Tuesday and accused his rival, Hillary Clinton, of wanting to increase health care costs and continue what he called the failing policies of President Barack Obama.

While the address was billed as being a critique of Obama's signature health care law, Trump spent only about 10 minutes on the subject, vowing to quickly repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a free market-based system. Trump then went on to deliver a meandering address about creating jobs, providing vocational training and ending costly foreign wars.

Trump said repealing the health care law should be a top priority for voters casting ballots over the next week.

"Hillary Clinton wants to expand Obamacare and make it even more expensive," Trump said to cheers. "She wants to put the government totally in charge of health care in America. If we don't repeal and replace Obamacare, we will destroy American health care forever. It's one of the single most important reasons why we must win on Nov. 8."

He said if elected he would call a special session of Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act and asserted that millennials would be "totally crushed by these massive health care costs before they even get started on their journey through life."

Trump has said he wants to take more of a free-market approach to health care, reducing federal regulation and coverage requirements so insurance would cost — and cover — less. He would also not require Americans to have health insurance, as the Affordable Care Act does.

Health care is a top priority for voters. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll in September found that roughly six in 10 adults said the candidates' plans to address the cost of their health insurance premiums and deductibles would be very important to their vote for president.

In a radio interview last week, Clinton said she was committed to making "changes to fix problems" in the health care law while reaffirming her alliance with Obama, whose diverse coalition of supporters is crucial to her electoral strategy.

She has said she wants to improve the Affordable Care Act by increasing the subsidies that help cover premiums and allowing more Americans to receive government help. She also wants to add a government-run insurance option, which she says would increase competition and choice in the marketplaces created under the health care law. And she has proposed allowing people younger than 65 to buy in to Medicare.

Yet, recent news has tested Clinton's resolve to continue to defend the Affordable Care Act.

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services reported that premiums for midlevel health plans on the health law's federal insurance exchange would rise by an average of 25 percent, but in some cities and states, increases will be considerably higher.

Those increases, however, will be cushioned for most people on the exchanges by government subsidies that will rise with the premiums.

Trump was accompanied to the rally by Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, who in a warm-up speech vowed to lead the fight in Congress to repeal the health care law and replace it with a "consumer-driven, market-driven" health care system that will save Americans money.



