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.
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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.
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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.
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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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Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixe, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
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