What Kamala Harris Wants to Change About Health Care Problems If She Gets Elected in 2024
Since Kamala Harris is the Democrat’s new candidate, she became the one who has the power to make some changes in the future. That is why it’s important to see what she thinks about healthcare problems and what her assets are against Donald J. Trump. As we already know, Harris’ main goal is to expand access to affordable healthcare. Affordable Care Act (ACA) supports her, which is a great advantage since it has increased enrollment and popularity in recent years.
Biden-Harris Administration
After Biden unexpectedly quit the presidential race, he posted an official announcement immediately, endorsing Kamala Harris. So, considering that she has expressed many of the same views as Biden on healthcare issues, it’s expected for her to continue working for their plans. For example, both of them sustain access to abortion and the lowering of prescription drug prices.
However, Harris has 2 alternatives, she can be unique and come up with brave new ideas or she can stick to the plan Biden also approved. Would she choose the easiest way? We think not, which is why the race becomes more and more interesting to watch. Is your popcorn ready? You’re about to find out about all the changes that will be shorty done if Kamala Harris wins.
How will Kamala Harris stand out as a president?
Even though Kamala Harris seemed to be on the same side as Biden, on the issue of health care, she had something different things to say. She believes in the transition to a single-payer system. Biden didn’t agree with it. So, if she wins the elections in 2024, we should expect some changes.
Dan Mallison, an associate professor of public policy and administration at Penn State Harrisburg said that we can look back to 2019 and get an idea of what she strongly believes will work out for the country. He also said that considering that she took part in the administration for four years she can’t do something completely different, but she still needs to show off in a way. Kamala needs to show the people who she will be as a president.
Here are some of the key changes she’s expected to make in the healthcare system:
Single-payer health system
Kamala Harris called multiple times, the U.S. current health system is “inhumane”. She expressed her support for a single-payer health system. It’s also called “Medicare for All” and would offer a government-run healthcare plan.
She first indicated that she would like to introduce the “Medicare for All” in 2019, at the presidential elections. But since then, she has stuck to her plan. Basically, she created her healthcare plan that she wants to introduce in 2024 if she is elected as the president of the United States. The plan implies a 10-year transition period that will automatically enroll newborns and the uninsured, allowing doctors time to enter the system. This way, employees could choose from federally designated programs.
Even though, in the presidential campaign 2019, Kamala Harris said that she would sustain eliminating the private health insurance system, she changed her mind. Now, by giving Americans the choice to purchase health insurance through either the public Medicare plan or a Medicare plan provided by a commercial insurer, the plan also maintains a place for private insurance companies.
In 2010, when Barack Obama was president, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. Biden, instead of supporting Harris’ ideas, chose to focus on strengthening the Affordable Care Act, arguing that the “Medicare for All” bill would raise taxes for the middle class.
Reproductive rights
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and ended the federally protected right to abortion, Kamala Harris publicly criticized the decision. She and Biden always considered that reproductive rights should be strictly protected. All women should choose by themselves what they want to do or not with their bodies. Harris believes that in order to protect reproductive freedom, protection of Roe must be restored.
Compared to Biden, Harris was significantly more vocal when it came to reproductive rights and women’s bodies. She was also the first Vice President of the United States to visit a clinic run by Planned Parenthood.
When presidential candidate J. D. Vance was baking a national abortion plan and blocking protections for in-vitro fertilization, Kamala Harris didn’t remain silent at all. She spoke loudly about what she thought was a huge problem American families had to deal with. So, if she wins the elections she will, surely, have something to say. She will give Americans the freedom to choose alone whatever feels better for them.
In May 2019, Harris said that if she were elected at the presidential elections, she would require any state-passed law to undergo approval from the Department of Justice before being enacted.
“Biden having a strong Catholic background, has been much more moderate on the issue of reproductive rights, but he became much more vocal after the overturning of Roe versus Wade,” Mallison said. On the other side, Kamala Harris has a much stronger profile on reproductive rights, which is why she is expected to make some significant changes.
Lowering prescription drug costs
Another important problem, Biden and Harris have been aligned for was lowering healthcare costs. Under the Biden-Harris administration, there were some changes in the cost of medicines. For example, insulin has been capped at $35 per month for many Americans. Other widely used drugs were taken into consideration for direct price negotiation. So, if Kamala Harris wins, most of the common drugs will get easier to find and, more importantly, affordable.
Since 2019 Harris has been known for supporting the Department of Health and Human Services to set new price caps for all the medicines sold in the United States, based on the prices from other countries.
It’s believed that if Congress declines to pass legislation to lower prescription drug costs, Harris will ask for a report on which pharmaceutical companies have drugs being sold at high prices. A competitor with a lower price would then be introduced to the market, and those companies would receive a notice to cut their prices.
Mallison said that he believes in Harris but he isn’t sure if she can accomplish all of her promises. “You’ve seen both former President Trump, as well as President Biden, make a lot of promises about executive action, and that is actually difficult to follow through on that.” Mallison continues to say how presidents are not just kings and queens that can do magic. So, we should choose what to believe and what not.
On Amazon, you can find a book, updated with all the important information from 2024 about Medicare. It’s a best-seller and we promise that it’s worth your attention. “10 Costly Medicare Mistakes You Can’t Afford To Make” was written by Daniel Kunkle Roberts and less than 48 hours after the book’s release, 40.000 copies were sold.
The book can help anyone approaching Medicare eligibility at age 65 who needs to learn the basics and is afraid of making a mistake that will result in penalties or inadequate healthcare coverage.
Before leaving, make sure to check out another related article. It’s about medicare secrets: Medicare Secrets Revealed! 6 Shocking Facts You Didn’t Know! Have you heard about any of them? Let us know in the comment section, found below.
