We thought that we knew what the healthcare implications would be in a rematch of Biden/Trump. Well, that comfort level quickly dissolved when we learned that President Biden decided to endorse Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States. In some sense, the slate was clean.
Let us take a minute and look for some hints we might find in the platforms of both national political parties. First, the Republican National Committee (RNC) had their convention in mid-July and their voices were somewhat mute in terms of what we might see from a Republican administration given the reelection of former President Trump.
Borrowing from Paul Keckley, “The RNC healthcare platform boils down to two aims: ‘protecting Medicare’ and ‘granting states oversight of abortion services. Promises to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, once the staple of GOP health policy, are long-gone as polls show the majority (even in Red states (like Texas and Florida) favor keeping it.” [Note: Given the reports about some of the findings from the release of the Project 25 report, I am not sure about the “protecting Medicare” part of their platform.]
At the recent Democratic National Convention held in Chicago, I think we saw more of the healthcare veil being lifted in terms of what we will see if we have Democratic majority led by a Harris Administration.
Again, to quote Paul Keckley, “Women’s health and access to abortion, excess profitability by “corporate” drug manufacturers, hospitals and insurers, inadequate price transparency, uneven access and household affordability will be core themes in speeches and ads, with a promise to reverse the Dobb’s ruling by the Supreme Court punctuating every voter outreach”.
Given that I have not fully digested, the implications of what healthcare might look like if some of the Project 25 proposals become law, let us take a few minutes to look at what we can see under a continued Democratic Administration
I think we will see an expansion of eligibility in one of our federal healthcare programs (Medicare, Medicaid) or a shoring up of the Affordable Care Act given that there is more national support for the Affordable Care Act then there was during the Obama Administration.
Given that both Harris and Walz have expressed strong commitments to equity, particularly racial and economic disparities, I suspect that their administration will focus on equity in healthcare. Could this possibly lead to population health on steroids?
I think we might also see more focus on something that has been a growing issue since 2020 (COVID isolation). A Harris/Walz administration might push for greater integration of mental health services into primary care, expanding funding for mental health programs, and addressing the opioid crisis with a public health approach. [Imagine that, a refocus on public health!]
Some of the more obvious areas that might be addressed includes reproductive health and rights; healthcare workforce and infrastructure; pharmaceutical pricing and regulation [expansion of drug price negotiation]; climate change and healthcare [have we not witnessed this summer some growing impacts of global warming]; healthcare innovation and technology [have we forgotten about AI in healthcare?]; and, probably, Veteran’s healthcare improvements.
These next few months leading up to the national general election will be exciting. I think we will see the different party’s positions changing and becoming clearer and I will update this article as those new positions become known.
