Online guide breaks down the public records of the two leading presidential candidates as they relate to ACP priorities
Sept. 13, 2024 (ACP) -- As the November election approaches, the American College of Physicians has created an in-depth online guide explaining the positions of presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on important health issues.
“The guide is intended to provide an overview of the two leading presidential candidates' records relating to ACP's health policy priorities,” said David Pugach, ACP vice president for governmental affairs and public policy. “This year, we have a unique opportunity because a former president is running against a sitting vice president. We can go beyond campaign rhetoric, to look at the candidates' records and see what action each has taken while in office.”
Pugach noted that the guide provides information only and does not support any candidate. “As a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, we cannot and do not endorse candidates,” he said. “We do engage with elected officials and policymakers to inform their work and advocate for policy solutions that align with ACP policy and support internal medicine physicians and their patients.”
A top ACP priority is ensuring access to care by extending premium support and tax credits that make health insurance more affordable. In this area, as president, Donald Trump supported the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), stopped payment for ACA subsidies and expanded non-ACA-compliant plans. In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration supported expansion of ACA eligibility and subsidies and reversed Trump-era expansion of non-ACA-compliant plans.
ACP also supports policies seeking to protect access to comprehensive reproductive health care services and opposes medically unnecessary government restrictions on any health care service. The Trump administration finalized regulations to the Title X family planning program that blocked federal funding to family planning facilities that also provide abortion services, issued regulations broadening employers' religious and moral exemptions from providing coverage for contraceptives under the ACA, and appointed three justices to the Supreme Court who sided with the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
The Biden-Harris administration issued an executive order and guidance affirming that abortions performed to stabilize those experiencing pregnancy-related emergencies are protected by the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, even in states that ban abortions. They also released a blueprint for addressing the maternal health crisis and reversed Trump administration changes to Title X.
On one front -- increasing access, affordability, availability and price transparency of prescription drugs -- both administrations took actions that reflect ACP policy priorities.
“There are several things that Donald Trump did as president in response to concerns regarding the high cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries,” Pugach said. Among other actions, the Trump administration proposed a blueprint to lower drug prices, and he signed legislation allowing pharmacists to disclose to patients when the cash price of a drug is lower than the insurance-paid cost.
The Trump administration also established the Innovation Center Part D Senior Savings Model, a voluntary model that allows participating Medicare Part D plans to limit monthly insulin costs to $35 and established a pathway to allow states to import prescription drugs from Canada.
“However,” Pugach noted, “Trump's administration also finalized a rule that would have increased Medicare Part D premiums.”
For its part, the Biden-Harris administration has made several moves to lower drug prices. Harris was the tie-breaking vote in the Senate to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which allows Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for a set number of drugs. Additionally, the law requires drug companies to pay rebates to Medicare if they raise prices faster than inflation and limits the cost of insulin at $35 per product per month for seniors.
The Biden-Harris administration also announced the first 10 prescription drugs selected for Medicare price negotiation with manufacturers and proposed a rule to address anticompetitive and anti-consumer practices in Medicare Advantage plans.
The ACP guide includes details about the Trump administration and Biden-Harris administration records on several other heath matters, such as firearm-related injuries and deaths and the effects of climate change. And there is information about how both administrations supported expansion of telehealth and rural health, two priorities of ACP policy.
In addition to information on the candidates' records, ACP also has created an online toolkit that supports civic engagement. The toolkit offers details about voter registration and access to elections. “This information is useful for anyone wanting to register to vote or help others do the same,” Pugach said.
More Information
The Election 2024 guide is available on the ACP website.
Back to the September 13, 2024 issue of ACP Advocate