At the end of a day when incoming and outgoing presidentstussled over the fate of U.S. health care, it was the words of VicePresident-elect Mike Pence that seemed to matter most to anxiousinvestors.

Pence, in a visit to Congress, sought to ease concerns that arepeal of Obamacare would be done so abruptly that itleaves millions of Americans without insurance and throwshealth-care companies into chaos across the country. He toldreporters that he was talking with Republican leaders to coordinate“both a legislative and executive action agenda to ensure that anorderly and smooth transition to market-based health care system isachieved.”

Earlier in the day, the mood was more strained. President-electDonald Trump, calling Obamacare “a disaster” onTwitter Wednesday, urged Republicans not to take the blame for thelaw as they start a process to change it. Meanwhile, PresidentBarack Obama urged Democrats on Capitol Hill to resist efforts torepeal his signature domestic policy achievement.