 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Voters decide on the future of health care tonight |
Voters will decide the future of the U.S. health care landscape with abortion access, health insurance coverage, prescription drug costs and public health on the ballot. |
Much of what either candidate would be able to accomplish will depend on Congress, where Democrats face long odds to hold their razor-thin majority in the Senate and the House is considered essentially a tossup. Abortion - Harris has said she would push Congress to eliminate the filibuster to pass abortion protection legislation and codify Roe v. Wade. However, such a bill has little chance of getting through the Senate, even if Democrats have a slight majority.
- A second Trump administration could undo regulations aimed at increasing abortion access. The possibility of the Comstock Act being enforced also looms if Trump were to win.
ObamaCare - Harris has called for the temporary enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies to be made permanent. They're currently set to expire at the end of 2025.
- But keeping them will be up to Congress, and the cost has raised GOP alarm bells. The Congressional Budget Office estimates it would cost more than $300 billion over 10 years, which Republicans have balked at. Unless Democrats control all three branches of government, a permanent extension is unlikely.
- Trump's "concepts of a plan" for potentially replacing the ACA never materialized into a concrete plan for repealing the 14-year-old law over the course of his campaign.
- But a second Trump administration could still make major changes. The first Trump administration for instance slashed funding for "navigators" — the outreach professionals who help people enroll in ACA plans. Trump's running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) has also talked about implementing a high-risk pool system and deregulating the insurance markets.
Prescription drug costs - Harris has proposed accelerating Medicare drug negotiations, bumping up the number of drugs eligible for bargaining. Harris has also called for the $35 monthly cap on insulin and the $2,000 annual prescription cap for Medicare beneficiaries to be extended to everyone.
- While Trump has been vague on his plans to reduce prescription spending, his campaign has pointed to the actions he took in his first administration as what could be expected in his second.
- In his first term, Trump signed rules requiring hospitals to publish the prices and banned gag clauses barring pharmacists from disclosing cheaper options.
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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Fewer health care workers are getting the most recent COVID-19 booster. Findings from a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show 15.3 percent of the roughly 8 million health care workers in hospitals have gotten the most recent COVID-19 booster for the 2023-24 respiratory virus season. Coverage was lowest — at 12.7 percent — among licensed independent practitioners. Vaccination coverage … |
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As the election draws to a close, Vice President Harris has put abortion access at the center of her closing message, while President Trump is leaning into his own health care pitch: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will deal with the nation’s ills. Democrats see abortion as a potentially decisive factor in the race and have been leaning into the issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade more than two years ago. … |
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Former President Trump and former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have raised fluoride in water as a public health measure to be addressed if Trump retakes the White House. Over the weekend, Kennedy wrote on social platform X, “On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.” He then claimed, without … |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- How should California spend a health care tax? Voters will decide in Prop. 35 (CalMatters)
- New health care coalition forms, including hospitals that left state hospital association (Mississippi Today)
- Whooping cough spikes dramatically among Missourians (STLPR)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- The election's stakes for global health (Politico)
- 6 races to watch that could shape health care policy (Stat)
- Election anxiety is real. Here's how to manage stress throughout the day (The Washington Post)
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Most read stories on The Hill right now: |
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Vice President Harris and former President Trump face the moment of truth on Election Day as voters around the country head to the polls. The race … Read more |
| Former President Trump railed against Fox News on Tuesday morning for playing clips of a speech Oprah Winfrey gave in support of Vice President Harris. … Read more |
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Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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