“There’s a difference between letting Obamacare fail and making it fail,” said Kurt Mosley, vice president of strategic alliances at Merritt Hawkins healthcare consultants.

And this is all happening as health insurance companies nervously await some important upcoming deadlines.

Indeed, the Trump administration has already instituted some of these anti-ACA policies.

Those actions range from failing to provide financial assistance to ignoring some of the ACA’s laws to scrapping advertising and publicity for the upcoming enrollment period.

The White House can do plenty to help shove Obamacare over the cliff in the next few months.

Those were not idle words.

In fact, President Donald Trump said last month that his plan was to “let Obamacare fail” and then force Democrats to work with Republicans on proposals to repeal and replace the nation’s healthcare law.

That’s exactly what some people say the Trump administration is doing with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

If you can’t repeal ‘em, then sabotage ‘em.

You know the old saying.

Experts say there are many ways for the White House to make the Affordable Care Act fail. In fact, the Trump administration is already working on it.

At this point, most people in the United States apparently want Obamacare fixed — not repealed.

A poll released Friday by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation stated that 60 percent of those surveyed said it was “a good thing” that the Senate failed late last month to approve a bill that would have repealed Obamacare.

Another 57 percent said they want Republicans and Democrats to work together to improve the ACA.

And 78 percent said they want the Trump administration to make the current healthcare law work. Only 17 percent said the White House should do what it can to make the ACA fail.

Despite the one-sided sentiment, the Trump administration has already begun efforts to undermine the ACA.

One of the chief strategies was revealed when President Trump threatened late last month to end the federal subsidies to insurance companies. These subsidies help pay for lower income customers’ premiums.

The federal government distributes about $600 million a month in these subsidies to insurance firms.

A decision on these payments needs to be made soon.

On August 21, the next round of monthly cost-sharing subsidies is scheduled to be sent out.

On September 5, insurers in 39 states that use the federal marketplace must submit any final adjustments they want to make in their proposed 2018 premium rate requests. The original deadline was going to be later this week, but last Friday the White House extended that deadline until the first week of September.

On September 27, insurance firms sign contracts to participate in the 2018 ACA marketplace.

Experts say if the president follows through on his threat to withhold subsidies, that could prompt insurers to seek even higher rates or drop out of the market altogether.

“It could create chaos,” Mosley told Healthline.

In fact, the president’s words have already produced uncertainty.

A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation released last week stated that the looming threat has triggered double-digit increases in the preliminary premium requests from insurance companies.

In 15 major U.S. cities, the report concluded, there are premium increases of more than 10 percent slated for consumers who buy insurance in the ACA marketplaces.

The report also stated that fewer insurers are expected to offer ACA plans than at any time since Obamacare began in 2014. On average, there will be 4.6 insurers per state, down from 5.7 insurers this year.

Experts say that even if the Trump administration decides on a month-by-month basis whether to pay the subsidies, it could be unsettling to the insurance market.

If the subsidies are ended, that will affect more than consumers.

Experts say hospitals would face an increase in uncompensated care from patients who don’t have insurance.

Enrollment is another arena where the Trump administration could hurt Obamacare.

Fewer people participating in the ACA markets would further weaken the system.

The White House has already taken steps in this direction.

Last month, administration officials ended contracts in 18 major cities for people known as facilitators.

These assistants worked in libraries, businesses, and urban neighborhoods, helping people sign up for ACA insurance coverage.

Without them, experts say enrollment will decline.

“They are absolutely essential,” Dr. Meghana Rao, an OB-GYN who is on the board of directors for Doctors for America, told Healthline.

“It’s critically important that consumers have some place to go,” added Jeananne Sciabarra, executive director of Consumer Health First.

In addition, in April, officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shortened the enrollment period in states under the federal marketplace.

Enrollment was originally scheduled to last from November 1 to January 31. That has been reduced to November 1 through December 15.

State-run exchanges have been encouraged to follow the same schedule.

Healthline contacted HHS officials for comment. A representative asked that Healthline email questions on these and other issues.

The email questions were sent, but HHS officials didn’t respond with answers.