TOPSHOT – Voters cast their votes at voting booths at early voting locations. … (+)
AFP (via Getty Images)
Recent community conversations indicate that public awareness of health care policy during this presidential election is lower than in previous elections. The economy and immigration are big issues, but let's not forget that health care is also on the ballot. The outcome of this presidential election will determine the fate of several health care policies that will be decided during the next presidential term.
Last week, someone told me that health policy was not something he thought about. When pressed, he said, “We need to go back to the pre-Obamacare era, when health care was better.'' When I asked for an example, he didn't have one. He is 19 years old and on his father's health insurance. Several other conversations confirmed that, with the exception of abortion, people seem to be fairly in-check about health care and do not connect their voting decisions to health care policy.
The Tradeoff Podcast, a nonpartisan media organization that does not endorse any policies or political candidates, highlighted three decisions on health care that the next president must make over the next four years in a recent episode. did.
Benefits of the Affordable Care Act for Americans include requiring insurance companies to remove pre-existing conditions as an eligibility requirement, allowing children to stay on their parents' health insurance until age 26, and increasing insurance coverage for Americans. including, but not limited to, expanding access to We provide financial support for insurance premiums to people who cannot afford it.
Part of the financial support for insurance premiums, known as enhanced subsidies, is scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. The next president will decide whether to end these subsidies. Data show that the ACA's subsidies and insurance support have lowered bankruptcy rates for some groups, suggesting an economic benefit from the bill.
Medication Abortion Two-thirds of abortions in the United States are medical rather than surgical. Access is determined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Congress is divided on whether the FDA should continue to approve access to abortion pills. Elderlina Ko, associate professor of law at the University of the Pacific, said the next administration will have the power to decide on drug availability. “This depends on whether the FDA decides to reconsider medical abortion, and who is running that agency could make a difference.”
Medicare Drug Price Negotiations The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) currently has the authority to negotiate lower drug prices with the pharmaceutical industry for certain drugs. But some Republicans want to strip CMS of its powers. The next president will decide whether this authority continues and potentially expands beyond the first 10 drugs. This problem will affect millions of seniors, including those on Medicare. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “Most seniors have prescription drug coverage through Medicare Part D, but a bipartisan majority say drug costs are unreasonable.”
WASHINGTON, USA – JULY 25: US Senator John McCain (2nd Congressman) leaves the Capitol after his first term. … (+)
Getty Images
Andrei Ostrovsky, former CMS chief medical officer, said that during his time in office, Donald Trump and some Republicans in Congress tried to cut Medicaid by 20%. Medicaid expansion has made health insurance available to more than 20 million Americans who would otherwise be uninsured. Since the ACA's creation, its popularity has grown and Congress has made 70 attempts to overturn the law, even though 45 million Americans are currently covered by the ACA.
In a separate interview on the Tradeoffs Podcast, Larry Leavitt, executive vice president of health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said, “If the Republicans win this election, the ACA will have a big challenge along with Medicaid.'' I think it will, if the Democratic Party can maintain it.” Although it wasn't a big topic in this election, I think the ACA is safe for one chamber of Congress. ”
Future health policy decisions could also have dire consequences for Americans who work as caregivers for parents, grandparents, and other loved ones. An estimated 38 million Americans provide unpaid care to their loved ones at an estimated cost of $600 billion annually.
Despite limited discussion and coverage of health policy in this election, health care is on the ballot. Some people, like the 19-year-old, believe that if they are “healthy” they will not be affected by health policy. That may be true for him in this moment, but it's not true for hundreds of millions of Americans.
Before stepping into the ballot box, all Americans would be wise to reflect and consider the information they need to make decisions about the health care policies that best support the health care needs of their loved ones and themselves.
