TL/DR –
Health care policy is a primary focus for the upcoming 2024 elections, with 74% of adults expressing concerns about unexpected health care bills. The health care policies of prospective candidates differ greatly, with Joe Biden advocating for increased regulation, universal health insurance access, and price controls, among other things. Conversely, Donald Trump’s policies focus on reduced regulation, limited government involvement in health insurance, and increased market competition to drive down prices.
Election 2024: Health Care as a Central Campaign Issue
In the upcoming 2024 elections, health care has emerged as a major focal point for voters, alongside economic conditions. The League of Women Voters urges voters to compare the presidential candidates’ stance on critical health care system challenges such as affordability, access to abortion, and market competition.
Recent polls from the Kaiser Family Foundation reveal that 74% of adults consider unexpected health care bills as their top financial concern. This surpasses worries over food, gas, energy, and rent. The concern transcends party lines, resonating with a majority of adults from both parties.
Health care policy analyst Paul H. Keckley has succinctly summarised the health care positions of the candidates: Joe Biden and Donald Trump, noting significant ideological differences in their views and proposed solutions.
Affordability & Health Insurance Coverage
Biden believes the system’s unaffordability is due to corporate dominance and advocates for increased regulation, including price controls. In contrast, Trump attributes unaffordability to over-regulation and lack of competition. Their views on health insurance coverage diverge as well, with Biden advocating for universally accessible and affordable coverage, especially for postpartum women and children, while Trump considers it a personal choice with the government playing a limited role.
Drug Prices & Medicare
The candidates’ policies on drug prices and Medicare are also contrasting. Biden argues that drug companies exploit the system to keep prices high and proposes price controls to reduce costs. Trump, however, believes importation and increased price transparency are the keys to reducing costs. Concerning Medicare, Biden believes it’s foundational to seniors’ well-being and needs protection, modernization, and additional revenues. Trump perceives Medicare as crucial to senior health and seeks to modernize it through privatization, citing waste and fraud as significant challenges.
Competition & Price Transparency
On the issue of competition, Biden suggests enhancing protections against vertical and horizontal consolidation that reduce choices and increase prices in health care. Trump believes the existing anti-trust and consumer protections are sufficient. Both candidates agree on the necessity of price transparency, with Biden focusing on consumer protection and Trump emphasizing market competition.
Affordable Care Act & Access to Abortion and IVF Treatments
The Affordable Care Act is another point of difference with Biden viewing it as a modernization tool that balances public and private responsibilities, while Trump sees it as a wasteful government takeover that must be repealed and replaced. On access to abortion, Biden considers it a basic women’s right to be federally protected, while Trump believes it should be a state issue. Similarly, Biden views IVF treatments as a basic right to be universally accessible and protected, and Trump sees it as a complex state issue.
Finally, the role of the federal government in health care is a fundamental distinction between the candidates. Biden views the federal government as an enabler of equitable access and affordability, whereas Trump argues that market forces will drive better value, and states should play a bigger role.
Your vote in the 2024 elections will shape the future of health care in America. Make sure to seek clarifying information to make an informed decision.
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