Former President Donald Trump once again promised during his campaign to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, but the bill remains a vague goal and one of his administration's most glaring policy failures. Ta.
Obama era health law more popular and widely used We are much better off now than in 2017, when President Trump and Congressional Republicans proved unable to pass their plan. President Trump has never offered his own Obamacare replacement plan, despite his repeated promises.
Nevertheless, “We're going to fight for far better health care than Obamacare. Obamacare is a disaster,” Trump said. He made this statement during the suspension of election activities on January 6th. In Iowa.
Mr. Trump's unpredictability has made it difficult to gauge his health care priorities during what is expected to be a second term in office. He provides few details and frequently changes his position, and his campaign did not respond to requests for comment. But we can review his medical records and see what they tell us.
Much of his administration's accomplishments in the medical field overturned by the Biden administrationPresident Trump secured several important policy changes that remain in place today.
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COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection)
Perhaps President Trump's greatest accomplishment is that he has said little during the current campaign. His administration'soperation warp speed” successfully created, tested, and distributed a COVID-19 vaccine in less than a year, far exceeding even the most optimistic predictions.
He also signed a massive coronavirus relief bill into law (after initially threatening a veto) and presided over some of the largest budget increases for the National Institutes of Health since the turn of the century.
Not that his COVID-19 record has been great. During the 2020 campaign, Trump held rallies that many public health experts deemed reckless in the face of a highly contagious and deadly virus. He personally ignored public health guidance from authorities after contracting the coronavirus himself and being hospitalized.
abortion
President Trump's biggest contribution to abortion policy was indirect, appointing three Supreme Court justices who were instrumental in overturning the constitutional right to abortion.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump has been in the spotlight on this hottest issue. Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022, President Trump has lamented that the issue is politically bad for Republicans. He criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for signing a six-week abortion ban. And he vowed to broker a compromise with “both sides” on abortion, promising that “for the first time in 52 years, we will have an issue we can put behind us.”
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He has so far declined to say how he would do that or whether he would support a national abortion ban weeks later.
But in recent days, President Trump appears to have mended relationships with his main anti-abortion opponents, whose support helped him win in 2016.
Health insurance
Many of the Trump administration's health care policies remain in place. For example, there is the No Surprises Act, a bipartisan measure aimed at protecting patients from unexpected medical costs resulting from payment disputes between health care providers and insurance companies.
His government also promoted price transparency regulations The law requires hospitals to post prices and insurance companies to provide estimates of how much a procedure will cost. Hospital response has been slow.
medicaid
Although Mr. Trump is a first-time elected official, I swore I wouldn't cut it Despite universal entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, his administration did not stick to that promise.
The Affordable Care Act Repeal Act, which President Trump supported in 2017, imposed deep cuts to Medicaid;and his Department of Health and Human Services later encouraged states to mandate it for Medicaid recipients. to prove they are working To receive health insurance. However, the bill was not passed.
drug price
The Trump administration has been actively working to lower prescription drug prices for consumers. President Trump signed a bill that allows pharmacists to notify patients when a drug's cash price is lower than the insured price.
However, many of President Trump's proposals blocked by court. One of his plans that never took effect was to fix the prices of some expensive drugs covered by Medicare at prices in other countries.Another would require pharmaceutical companies to price included in TV ads.
Regulations allowing provinces to import cheaper medicines from Canada I passed. However, it took him until January 2024 for the FDA to approve it. First import plan, in Florida. It is unclear whether this policy is viable, as Canada does not allow exports that risk creating drug shortages domestically.
veterans health
Some supporters credit Trump with health care reform at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He signed important legislation that allows veterans to receive care outside of VA facilities.
That said, White House officials also tried to block the passage of necessary spending for this effort.
medical freedom
President Trump signs the Right to Try Act, which aims to give terminally ill patients easier access to drugs and treatments not yet approved by the FDA, a major victory for liberal Republicans. brought about.
President Trump said during a Fox News town hall on January 10 that the law “saved thousands of lives.” There is no evidence to support this claim, and it is unclear how many patients were able to take advantage of the law to receive treatment. In any case, the FDA already usually granted requests for “permissive use” of unapproved drugs.
An obstacle not addressed by the law is that drug companies are releasing large numbers of drugs that are still being tested and may be in short supply.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism on health issues and is one of KFF's core operating programs and an independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism. Information source.
