Health care is suddenly front and center in the final sprint to the presidential election, and the outcome will shape the Affordable Care Act and the coverage it gives to more than 40 million people . Besides reproductive rights, health care for most of the campaign has been an in-the-shadows issue. However, recent comments from former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen.
JD Vance, about possible changes to the ACA have opened Republicans up to heavier scrutiny. More than 1,500 doctors across the country recently released a letter calling on Trump to reveal details about how he would alter the ACA, saying the information is needed so voters can make an informed decision. The letter came from the Committee to Protect Health Care, a national advocacy group of physicians.
“It’s remarkable that a decade and a half after the ACA passed, we are still debating these fundamental issues,” said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. “Democrats want to protect people with preexisting conditions, which requires money and regulation. Republicans have looked to scale back federal regulation, and the byproduct is fewer protections.
” The two parties’ tickets hold starkly different goals for the ACA, a sweeping law passed under then-President Barack Obama that set minimum benefit standards, made more people eligible for Medicaid and ensured consumers with preexisting health co.
