US Election: Health Care
Facts
- OVERVIEW: According to some reports, in 2022, US health care spending totaled $4.5T, averaging $13.5K per person and accounting for 17.3% of GDP. The US has some of the highest health care costs in the world due to factors often debated, including administrative costs and research. According to the US Census Bureau, in 2022, 65.6% of the population possessed a private health plan, while 36.1% obtained insurance through public plans. 7.9% of the population was uninsured.[1][2][3][4][5]
- CURRENT STATE: According to the National Library of Medicine, the US population is aging quickly with a growing life expectancy gap against peer countries. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports that it sits below average for life expectancy, avoidable mortality, chronic conditions, obesity, and coverage eligibility, but excels in cancer survival, effective preventative and secondary care, perceived health status, and satisfaction with the availability of quality health care.[6]
- HEALTH CARE AS AN ELECTION ISSUE: Per Gallup, 2% of US adults view health care as the most important issue. 44% claim to be either cost insecure or desperate concerning health care, compared to 56% who identify as cost secure. Additionally, according to Pew Research, 60% of survey respondents believe reducing health care costs should be a 'top priority' for Congress and the president to address in 2024, ranking fourth below money in politics (62%), fighting terrorism (63%), and the economy (73%).[7][8][9]
- DEMOCRATIC PLEDGES: The Democratic Party Platform states health care 'should be a right, not a privilege.' The party commits to defending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) against repeal, expanding 'Medicaid-like coverage' to 2.8M uninsured low-income adults, and 'fight[ing]' to expand the $35/month insulin limit and the $2K/year out-of-pocket Medicare prescription cap. It also promises to exclude medical debts from credit scoring and eliminate the 700K-person Medicaid waiting list.[10]
- REPUBLICAN PLEDGES: The GOP Platform states that health care and drug costs are 'out of control,' and that the 'Democrats' Open Borders Policies' have increased costs for American families. The party promises to 'increase Transparency, promote Choice and Competition, and expand access to new Affordable Healthcare and prescription drug options.' The GOP commits to protecting Medicare, making sure seniors aren't 'burdened by excessive costs,' and supporting veterans.[11]
Sources: [1]Census.gov, [2]CMS, [3]Ispor.org, [4]NCBI, [5]Pgpf, [6]OECD iLibrary, [7]Pew Research Center, [8]Gallup.com (a), [9]Gallup.com (b), [10]Democrats and [11]The American Presidency Project.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Guardian. The Harris-Walz campaign is committed to fighting for programs that establish high-quality health care as a basic human right. While Trump and the GOP see the industry as a vehicle for competition and profit, Democrats want to fight for the 26M uninsured American citizens who remain vulnerable to financial ruin if they seek serious treatment. The health care system needs reform, and the Democratic ticket is the solution America needs.
- Republican narrative, as provided by Manhattan Institute. If Kamala Harris truly cared about helping Americans, she wouldn't be proposing health care for illegal immigrants and an essentially socialist policy that would strip 180M Americans of the private insurance they rely on. Not only would Harris' plan extinguish more than half the country's health coverage, it would also cost tens of trillions of dollars. Republicans know there are still Americans in need of insurance, but they also know that demolishing the system isn't the solution.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The HighWire and Americanprogress. Federal agencies and Big Pharma are working hand-in-hand to reap financial gain and maintain control over America's health care system. While industry elites continue to suppress the truth of this corruption by labeling any alternative opinion as 'misinformation,' it's imperative that the federal government and its industry overlords be investigated and fully regulated.