Two debates have taken place in recent weeks, and health care, which had previously been somewhat of a theme in the presidential campaign, has emerged as a top issue in the final campaign.
It started when President Trump said last month that he had a “vision for a plan” to replace the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), and continued at Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate in New York.
On stage this week, Republican Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance framed President Trump’s repeated repeal attempts as a victory for the American people, saying that we are back to the days when pre-existing conditions could be the basis for legislation. It seemed like he was trying to assure voters that he didn’t want to. Refusal to report.
“I think you can make a very good argument that (President Trump’s actions) saved Obamacare,” Vance said.
“Trump could have destroyed this program. Instead, he took a bipartisan approach to ensuring Americans have access to affordable care.”
It was a claim that raised quite a few eyebrows.
As almost every post-debate fact check noted, then-President Trump used his executive powers to weaken the 2010 law and pressure Congress to repeal it completely. Ta.
The effort only failed when some members of Trump’s own party, most famously then-Sen. John McCain of Arizona — voted no.
Trump’s actions during his presidency, including making it more burdensome to enroll in health insurance exchange programs, also contributed to a decline in enrollment from 2016 to 2020, according to government data.
Nevertheless, Vance asserted that “it was Mr. Trump who saved the program itself from a crumbling Democratic administration, and without his leadership it would have collapsed.”
In addition to numerous fact-checks, Tuesday’s exchange also reported changes in health care policy due to increased enrollment and public support for Barack Obama’s signature accomplishment, which Republicans have been trying to repeal since its enactment. .
The number of exchange enrollees has skyrocketed since Biden took office, with more than 21 million people now enrolled in plans through the law’s marketplace. Public opinion polls show the law’s popularity is growing.
Read more: What the 2024 campaign means for your wallet: Yahoo Finance’s presidential election guide
After years of Republican attacks, the Harris campaign hopes the issue could become a liability for Republicans in the final months of the campaign. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz responded to this claim on stage during a debate, saying that exchanges have flourished and grown in recent years because of their popularity.
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“Look, people are using it. The system is working,” Walz said.
Other important points: Insulin pricing and price transparency
Tuesday night’s exchange covered a series of health care topics and was just the latest attempt by Mr. Vance to rethink the issue and Trump’s record in office on it.
The cost of prescriptions is also an important issue. At a recent rally, Vance said it was Republicans who “lowered insulin to $35 a bottle.”
“Thank you Donald Trump,” he added.
Vance said the former president worked to achieve $35 insulin and signed a 2020 executive order aimed at saving costs for seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D. correct. However, it is worth noting that the effort was only voluntary.
A Rand Healthcare report found that while President Trump’s efforts actually reduced out-of-pocket insulin costs, many people still pay more than $35.
It was the Biden-Harris administration that made it mandatory, at least for seniors, with the enactment of the Inflation Control Act of 2022.
Some people are still paying more for insulin, and Kamala Harris has promised to cap insulin prices at $35 for Americans of all ages.
Read more: Trump vs. Harris: 4 ways the next president could affect your bank account
Vance also highlighted Tuesday regulations announced during President Trump’s term that force hospitals to disclose the prices paid by insurance companies, saying, “Price transparency actually increases the cost to American consumers. “It will give us a little more choice and reduce costs.”
But the impact of this change remains unclear, according to a New York Times fact check, and economists remain divided on how President Trump’s rules will ultimately affect overall prices. It is said that there is
The phrase that started it all: “The Planning Concept”
The debate over health care has been heightened in recent weeks after Trump confronted Harris in the Sept. 10 debate and nodded to her insistence on replacing Obamacare with something better. was not disclosed.
“I have an idea for a plan,” President Trump said during a debate hosted by ABC.
“We’ll only change it if we come up with something better and cheaper,” he added, pledging to make plans “in the not-too-distant future.”
Vance this week sought to defend President Trump’s comments on the issue, saying it was “simple common sense” that a 900-page bill should never be introduced on stage.
“It’s going to make everyone cry, and it doesn’t really mean anything,” Vance added, noting that Trump has given no indication that a plan will be laid out anytime soon, despite promises of discussion. ignored.
And Mr. Vance recently faced political backlash when he appeared to offer some potential details of Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance’s health care plan.
Vance discussed the idea that insurance companies could be given more power to separate people with chronic conditions into special “risk pools.” This quickly sparked concerns that insurance companies would return to the days of denying coverage or charging exorbitant rates to people with pre-existing conditions.
Gov. Walz on Tuesday night criticized the Republican health care proposal, saying “what he described pre-Obamacare” and that Trump and Vance “are going to let insurance companies pick and choose who gets coverage.” said.
Don’t expect this problem to go away over the next few weeks. The Harris campaign on Tuesday launched the first of what it promises will be a series of health care-focused ads in the coming weeks.
Ben Werschkul is Yahoo Finance’s Washington correspondent.
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