Are you aware of all the health care plans now that Trump has won the elections?Â
We will make America healthy again! This is what President Donald Trump said during his campaign. In addition, he pledges to reform federal health programs, break public health organizations, and reduce excessive costs throughout the system. What does that mean? We’ll have to wait and find out.
He also pledged to lower the high cost of health care and to improve the Medicare program, which provides coverage to millions of seniors, from the start of the campaign.
Although Trump has stated that he would not sign a national abortion restriction law, he is backing other measures that would determine who is eligible for and unable to obtain health care. The president-elect has declared that he will completely prohibit gender-affirming care for minors and prohibit federal funding for it.
Several unresolved priorities of the Biden administration are at risk. The goals of President Biden and Vice President Harris were to address the medical debt of Americans, increase access to behavioral health care, and speed up Medicare’s negotiations for costly medicines. These plans will probably be put indefinitely on hold.
Without further ado, these are the health care plans starting in January:
Reshaping health insurance
There have been several proposals for reforming the Affordable Care Act, and Republican lawmakers and policy experts have expressed a desire for significant changes. The enhanced tax credits that keep ACA premiums low are set to expire after next year, and many Republicans are against them.
JD Vance, the newly elected vice president, has proposed that the administration allow insurers to separate enrollees into various risk pools and provide various plans according to those health risks. Policy experts caution that older Americans and those with ongoing medical problems may see their premiums rise dramatically, even though that could result in cheaper plans for younger, healthier Americans.
Additionally, a second Trump administration might bring back his previous initiatives to provide cheaper health insurance. Not all of the coverage needed by ACA plans must be covered by those insurance options, which were expanded during the first Trump term and then reduced by Biden.
During his campaign, Trump made no mention of Medicaid in particular and notably omitted it from his promises not to reduce funding for Social Security and Medicare.
Additional health care for aging seniors
During the last few days of his campaign, Trump suggested implementing tax credits to help long-term caregivers. Although he hasn’t disclosed the plan’s possible cost or eligibility requirements, at least 53 million Americans claim to be family caregivers. With the aging of the Baby Boomer generation, that number is predicted to rise in the upcoming years.
The plan also mirrors Trump’s larger promises to “strengthen” Medicare and reduce costs, as well as several other tax relief initiatives he has presented. According to some GOP policy experts, encouraging more seniors to enroll in privately managed Medicare Advantage plans would help control these costs.
Veterans’ healthcare
The main goals of President Trump’s healthcare plan for veterans are cost reduction and increased access to private care. He established the Veterans Community Care Program and permitted veterans to obtain care at non-U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities during his first term by signing the VA MISSION Act.
Cutting med prices
Trump has been vocal about Americans’ ridiculous prescription drug costs and the “freeloading” that occurs when other developed countries pay significantly lower prices. It is unclear how he will operate within the parameters of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which permits Medicare to directly negotiate certain medication prices.
Similar to his first administration’s efforts to mandate that hospitals post their prices, his campaign promises to advocate for greater price transparency. GOP leaders have also demanded greater openness in the IRA process negotiations between Medicare officials and big pharmaceutical companies.
Vaccines and public health
To investigate the huge increase in chronic illnesses, Trump has promised to set up a presidential commission that will look into federal healthcare agencies, environmental factors, food policy, and potentially the pharmaceutical industry itself.
Campaign surrogates, however, have hinted in recent weeks that a second administration is becoming more receptive to unverified vaccine risk theories. RFK Jr. would not be appointed to head the Health and Human Services Department, but he could supervise efforts to reduce the number of vaccines on the recommended schedule, Trump transition co-chair Howard Lutnick told CNN just before the election. Others, including Lutnick, have also discussed reevaluating liability protections for the pharmaceutical companies that create the vaccines.
The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are two public health organizations that GOP lawmakers have already discussed undergoing significant changes.
Reproductive rights
During a presidential debate, Trump vowed to veto any national abortion restrictions that reached his desk, separating himself from some conservatives’ calls for such restrictions. However, advocates of abortion rights assert that there are numerous additional ways that Trump’s administration could restrict access to abortion and reproductive care, including by granting employers with religious affiliations insurance coverage exemptions.
Under Trump, the FDA may also update regulations permitting the mail delivery of the abortion pill mifepristone to patients. Most abortions involve the use of mifepristone. Separately, Trump made a promise to guarantee that in vitro fertilization is covered by insurance and to safeguard access to the procedure.
During his campaign, Trump also made various speeches regarding the issue of abortion, saying that he supports letting states decide abortion policy, which permits complete bans to remain in influence.
In addition, he also states that abortion will be taken into consideration in exceptional cases like rape, incest, and saving the life of a pregnant woman.
Gender-affirming care is going to be prohibited
Trump has stated time and time again that he will not allow federal funds to be used for body modification surgeries. According to his website, he will sign an executive order “directing every federal agency to stop all programs that promote the concept of s*x and gender transition, at any age,” as soon as he takes office.
The Supreme Court will soon decide whether gender-affirming care bans are legal, at least under state law. The court will probably render a ruling during Trump’s administration, but it will hear arguments regarding Tennessee’s ban on December 4.
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The bottom line is that we don’t know for sure what will happen with the healthcare sector soon. We certainly hope for better yet affordable med prices, especially for those who can’t afford to pay a huge amount for their absolutely necessary treatment, whose life depends.
How do you feel about these changes? Are you optimistic and content regarding the future? Tell us in the comments.
You may also want to read about the Top 4 Medication Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.Â
