How health care could change under the new Trump administration
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Former President
The reverberations will be felt far beyond
Abortion restrictions may tighten nationwide with a possible effort to restrict the mailing of abortion medications.
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And with the elevation of vaccine skeptic
Trump's victory will give a far broader platform to skeptics and critics of federal health programs and actions. Public health authorities worry that in a worst case, the
Trump said in an
Here's what's known about how the Trump administration might do on several major issues in health care:
Changes to Obamacare
While Trump has said he will not try again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, his administration will face an immediate decision next year on whether to back an extension of enhanced premium subsidies for Obamacare insurance plans. Without the enhanced subsidies, steep premium increases causing lower enrollment are projected. The current uninsured rate, about 8%, could rise.
Policy specifics have not moved far beyond the "concepts of a plan" Trump said he had during his debate with Harris, though Vice President-elect JD Vance later said the administration would seek to inject more competition into ACA marketplaces.
Polls show the ACA has gained support among the public, including provisions such as preexisting condition protections and allowing young people to stay on family health plans until they are 26.
Trump supporters and others who have worked in his administration say the former president wants to improve the law in ways that will lower costs. They say he has already shown he will be forceful when it comes to lowering high health care prices, pointing to efforts during his presidency to pioneer price transparency in medical costs.
"On affordability, I'd see him building on the first term," said
Efforts to weaken the ACA could include slashing funds for enrollment outreach, enabling consumers to purchase more health plans that don't comply with ACA consumer protections, and allowing insurers to charge sicker people higher premiums.
"We know what their agenda is," said
Drug price negotiation
Other Trump supporters say the president-elect may support preserving Medicare's authority to negotiate drug prices, another provision of the IRA. Trump has championed reducing drug prices, and in 2020 advanced a test model that would have tied the prices of some drugs in Medicare to lower costs overseas, said Merkel, who worked in Trump's first
Leadership of health agencies
Within Trump's circles, some names have already been floated as possible leaders for the
Kennedy, who suspended his independent presidential run and endorsed Trump, has told his supporters that Trump promised him control of HHS. Trump said publicly before
Cuts or restrictions on Medicaid
While Trump has vowed to protect Medicare and said he supports funding home care benefits, he's been less specific about his intentions for Medicaid, which provides coverage to lower-income and disabled people. Some health analysts expect the program will be especially vulnerable to spending cuts, which could help finance the extension of tax breaks that expire at the end of next year.
Possible changes include the imposition of work requirements on beneficiaries in some states. The administration and
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"Medicaid will be a big target in a Trump administration," said
Reproductive health
Less clear is the potential future of reproductive health rights.
Trump has said decisions about abortion restrictions should be left to the states. Thirteen states ban abortion with few exceptions, while 28 others restrict the procedure based on gestational duration, according to the
State ballot measures to protect abortion rights were adopted in seven states, including
Trump could move to restrict access to abortion medications, used in more than half of abortions, either by withdrawing the
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