Now that Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the Democratic nomination, voters are watching to see whether Republican candidate Donald Trump will debate her on key issues like health care.
Polls show that access to and cost of health care are concerns for a majority of Americans, but they’ve largely taken a back seat in this rollercoaster election season.
Trump continued to oppose Obamacare earlier this year, but his official policy platform, “Agenda 47,” offered only plans for drug pricing, supply and supplements and a promise to protect Medicare.
KFF, a health policy research and reporting company, compares the policies of both presidential candidates every election cycle, but this year’s comparisons have been particularly difficult — and not just because of last-minute changes to the Democratic nominee.
KFF President and CEO Drew Altman He said in a column Part of the difficulty lies in the vagueness of President Trump’s policy proposals.
“Trump avoids policy and its details as a personal trait and a way to deflect accountability and media criticism,” Altman wrote, explaining that most candidates do extensive research to plan their policies. But this year, “the routine task of explaining the differences between the two candidates on health issues feels like a 1,000-piece puzzle.”
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Trump made repealing Obamacare an issue early in the campaign but has removed it from his campaign pledges.
Republican lawmakers under the Trump administration failed to overhaul the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2017, but Trump continued to criticize the ACA (also known as Obamacare) during his campaign for the 2024 election.
“We’re going to fight for a health care system that’s much better than Obamacare. Obamacare is a disaster,” he said in a campaign speech in Iowa on Jan. 6.
Democrats in March tried to use the legislation, which would make health care cheaper and the policy easier to understand, as a rallying point to mobilize their supporters.
Trump’s messaging on Obamacare has been toned down in recent months. Instead, he brings up Obamacare when talking about immigration and how immigrants are taking advantage of programs like Obamacare (though illegal immigrants are not allowed to enter the U.S.). No qualifications According to KFF, people cannot enroll in insurance through Medicaid or the ACA Marketplace unless designated at the state level.
Trump’s official platform, “Agenda 47,” drops any promise to completely repeal Obamacare, instead pledging to lower drug prices, eliminate drug shortages, end drug addiction and protect Medicaid. The Republican National Committee’s official platform also makes no mention of Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act, but does promise to expand access to affordable health care. USA Today has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
The column was written after Harris emerged as Biden’s successor. Altman is Trump’s Her advantage on immigration maintains her support with voters and is comparable to Harris’ advantage on health care.
“She can run her campaign on the Biden-Harris administration’s record on health care policy, launching an offensive on health care policy and further solidifying the lead they’ve established on abortion and health care in general,” Altman said.
Agenda 47’s promise not to cut Medicare budget ‘vague’
Trump’s Agenda 47 States “Republicans should not under any circumstances vote to cut one cent from Medicare or Social Security,” he said, blaming Biden for big spending in other areas.
Altman called the promise “vague” and said if Republicans want to cut federal spending on health care, they can cut it from Medicaid or the ACA.
During his presidency, Trump passed tax cuts, further depleted the Medicare Part A trust fund and eliminated a federal commission designed to rein in Medicare spending, according to KFF.
But Altman said Medicare change is not completely off the table, as some Republicans still advocate for structural changes to Medicare.
Contributors: Julie Rovner, KFF Health News and Rachel Looker, USA TODAY
