Harris-Walz and U.S. health care: What could that look like?

“As a governor, coach, teacher and veteran, he has worked hard for working families like his,” Harris wrote. Xthe former Twitter user. “We’re happy to have him on the team.”

Now that the Democratic nominee has been decided, many are wondering what a Harris-Waltz victory would mean for the country. Pew Research Center The survey found that health care is a big concern for voters going into this election, and they are asking what kind of change Harris and Walz might bring to the national health care issue in general. Harris’ campaign is still in the early stages, and she has not yet shared all of her views on the issues. However, her background in different areas of health care suggests where she will stand on a range of issues.

Health policy experts stress that what Harris and Walz can accomplish in office will depend in large part on what happens in Congress. “The country remains divided,” they say. Layton Khoo“I think it’s unlikely that Harris will control both houses of Congress, but a lot can happen,” said Harris, PhD, MPH, director of the Center for Health Policy Research at the Milken Institute for Public Health at George Washington University.

“No matter who the president is, reforming America’s health care system will be a daunting task, given the power and lobbying capabilities of health insurance companies,” he said. Perry N. HalkitisPh.D., Dean of the Rutgers University School of Public Health.

Health policy researchers and physicians predict what changes could come if Harris and Walz win in November.

Reproductive rights come into focus

Harris has repeatedly spoken out in support of access to reproductive health care. Reproductive Freedom Tours There, she hosted events highlighting the impact of abortion bans and shared stories of people affected by strict reproductive rights laws in each state.

“Extremists across the country continue their all-out assault on our hard-won freedoms by pushing extreme policies such as banning abortion in all 50 states, criminalizing doctors and forcing women to travel out of state to get the care they need,” she said in a statement. “I will continue to fight for our fundamental freedoms while uniting people across America who agree that every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body, not the government.”

In March, Harris made what was believed to be the first official visit to an abortion clinic by a sitting president or vice president, during which she called abortion access “a very serious health crisis that women face.” NPR.

“Harris is a longtime supporter of abortion rights, while Trump has boasted about his appointment to the Supreme Court that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.” Larry Levitt“These are the most common health problems in the U.S.,” said KFF’s executive vice president for health policy. luck.

Walz has a history of supporting access to abortion care. In 2023, he Some bills The state enacted the law to protect people who seek or provide abortions in Minnesota. “Today, we are protecting the rights of Minnesotans and ensuring our state remains a place where people can freely access the care they need to live a full life,” it said in a statement at the time. “We have put in place firewalls to ensure Minnesotans are free to make decisions about their health care.”

But Levitt says a Harris-Waltz administration would be limited in what it could accomplish: “Whether Harris or Trump can affect abortion access will depend a lot on who controls Congress, but there are executive actions they can take to change policy to some extent,” he says.

Koo agrees: “She may have more room to maneuver in terms of executive action, or she may actually seek to pursue legal action to sue states that try to further restrict abortion access,” he says. luckLevitt said Governor Harris could continue to require hospitals to provide abortions in emergency situations where a woman’s health is at risk, even in states where abortion is banned.

Ultimately, Koo said Harris could have the biggest impact on reproductive rights if she were able to appoint one or two new justices to the Supreme Court. “If Harris is elected president, she will have the opportunity to appoint one or two new Supreme Court justices during her term,” Koo said. “That could potentially change the Supreme Court.”

Healthcare could become more accessible and affordable

But at this point, the policy on this is unclear. Supported “Harris has supported Medicare for All in the past, and in 2019 put forward a proposal to gradually expand Medicare to everyone and offer the option to purchase private insurance,” Levitt said. “Harris’ past support for Medicare for All indicates her desire to achieve universal coverage, but I don’t expect she will push for it during the campaign or if she wins the presidential election.”

Walz also stressed the importance of access to health care: “What Minnesotans want for health care is simple,” he said in a 2019 speech. Inaugural Address“They don’t want to get sick in the first place, but if they do get sick, they want treatment close to home and at a price they can afford.”

Levitt said he expects the administration to place more emphasis on making insurance under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, more affordable.

Koo agrees that it’s unlikely that Harris will make Medicare for All a top priority at this point: “She will continue to support Medicaid expansion and keeping the Affordable Care Act’s market mechanisms strong,” he says.

Price caps on certain medicines could be further increased

Levitt noted that Harris has campaigned on the political victories of a Biden-Harris administration against the pharmaceutical industry, including giving the government the power to negotiate drug prices in Medicare for the first time and capping insulin copays at $35 a month. “Harris has indicated she wants to go further in these drug cost relief measures,” Levitt said.

“I expect she will continue to pursue this matter,” Khoo said, but he noted that “parts of this matter are being contested in court.”

Walz has also worked to help his constituents afford their medicines. In 2020, Signed He passed a bill to allow Minnesotans to buy insulin. “No Minnesotan should have to die having to choose between putting food on the table and buying the medicine they need to live,” he said. statement At the time, the bill was not approved. “Despite resistance from the pharmaceutical industry, the courage and determination of Minnesotans with diabetes, Minnesotans who have lost loved ones to diabetes, and lawmakers moved this bill forward. It is truly inspiring. This hard-fought legislation will provide much-needed relief to Minnesotans who struggle to afford insulin. We must continue to put Minnesotans first and ensure people don’t struggle to get the care they need.”

Dr. Mariana Sokal, an associate professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, expects this to be a “key issue” for the Harris-Waltz campaign. “There will probably be an increased emphasis on putting prescription drug affordability at the forefront and building on the work that VP Harris has done under the Biden administration,” she said. luck“It will provide a stronger basis for making drug pricing more affordable.”

Healthcare integration may be limited

Harris previously served as California’s attorney general, during which she actively opposed consolidation in the health care industry — situations in which hospitals and other similar health care businesses merge. POLITICOThe main reason was fear that prices would rise.

A Harris-Waltz administration could also fight private equity ownership in the health care system, Koo said. “Private equity invests because they see the potential for profits,” he said. “But when private equity gets involved, the quality of care may go down a little bit.”

Ms. Harris hasn’t said much publicly about the matter, but Mr. Koo expects she will in due course. “I think that’s something that the Harris administration might be interested in,” Mr. Koo said.

More funding could be put into nursing home care.

Koo points out that many of the problems facing nursing homes in the US were revealed during the peak of the pandemic. “Nursing homes are still struggling,” he says. “They’re having a really hard time getting quality staff.” Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued new staffing requirements for nursing homes, he notes.

Walz also has a history of working on long-term care. In August 2023, he helped deliver $173 million in funding to help Minnesotans with long-term care. “This session, we worked bipartisan to prioritize the needs of middle-class families and seniors, providing direct support to nursing homes across the state to ensure Minnesota’s seniors have access to quality care and a safe environment,” he said. statement“By providing funding for nursing homes and investing in workforce incentives, we’re ensuring seniors have access to quality care while also bringing new workers into this critical profession and building the workforce of the future.”

Also in April, Harris Announced The ruling will improve access to long-term care and the quality of caregivers. “A lot of people have said, ‘Great, but how are we going to pay for it?'” Khoo said, suggesting that a Harris-Walz administration might try to increase funding for nursing homes, which would be popular given the aging baby boomer population. “I expect this conversation to come up,” Khoo said.

Overall, experts stress that it’s still unclear what both Harris and Walz would do for health care if elected. “The campaign is still early days,” Koo says. “But we have to remember that what happens in Congress and now with the Supreme Court is a limiting factor in what changes will occur.”