Harris Transforms Health as an Economic Issue | KFF

Vice President Harris has not proposed a broad or moderate overhaul of the health care system. His proposals build on what the Biden-Harris administration has done. The New York Times called it “a fresh start.” But, what Vice President Harris has done that is new and notable is to restore health as a pocketbook economic issue; the point of economic problems of society and part of his economic policy. That aligns with how patients view health and what they worry about the most – their health care bills.

Vice President Harris proposed reducing out-of-pocket drug costs for each individual by $2,000 per year and insulin costs by $35 per month, adding support for the revised Affordable Care Act (ACA), to accelerate Medicare drug price negotiations, and expand repeal efforts. Medical debt that works with countries.

All of these policy proposals have similar political characteristics:

• They are simple and understandable, and voters can relate to them. It hasn’t always been like this. The ACA was complex, with many moving parts (part of why the public had a hard time understanding what it did for them). Adding to the complexity was the Clinton Health Care Act, which was notorious for its complex diagrams intended to explain how the plan would work.
• Because there is no new health reform plan, there is no big target for former President Trump and the Republicans to fire. Every suggestion on the list is popular and hard to resist. While it is true that the policies of Vice President Harris will not affect every American, it is not true that they are useless. The drug price negotiation is an example of many health care price negotiations, which is why it was so controversial. It and out-of-pocket caps and insulin prices can be passed on to the general public. The ACA’s revised subsidies affect about 20 million people. For all the hoopla surrounding it, the ACA itself fell far short of reforming health care. It did many things at once, notably reforming the individual insurance market, protecting people with pre-existing conditions, and expanding private coverage and Medicaid.
• But above all, Vice President Harris’ package focused heavily on people’s out-of-pocket costs and their concerns about health care availability. Price is the central theme, not universal coverage, or health care as a right (which is also used), or quality, value, or access (popular terms in health care). And during a break from the previous process, health care proposals were introduced in the North Carolina speech along with a series of other economic proposals, including expanded tax credits and housing assistance policies. aimed at reducing the price of supermarkets, not as an independent person. health care plan. There was no “health care speech” announcing the new health plan—it was announced as part of the economic speech instead.

Vice President Harris once favored his own version of the Medicare for All plan. But for now, the Democratic left in Congress has generally supported moderate proposals from President Biden and Vice President Harris in order to combat the threat from former President Trump, reduce pressure on the Vice President Harris to develop a great health plan, and generally like. economic and health policies that are seen as bringing Democrats closer to working people. More proposals from the left can be expected to return, including the public option and Medicare for All, if Vice President Harris wins. Mind you, at a time when Democrats are framing abortion as a health care issue, with heart-wrenching personal stories about the effects of abortion restrictions told at the Democratic convention, health care itself is being done as an economic issue.

All of our KFF polls suggest to me that this is how voters view health care: as one of their economic concerns. People worry more about paying for health care than paying for gas, or for their rent or mortgage. In some elections, health care costs do not keep pace with inflation as a concern for patients, and is one of the main reasons voters say the economy is in bad shape. I have written many times about how affordability, not quality and lack of access, is the health care issue of most concern to voters, and elsewhere about how candidates use policy proposals in campaigns to send signals to voters. In this case the message is: “I’m a candidate who cares about your health care costs.” Campaigns are political strategies and a show to win elections; Detailed policy proposals come later as the nominees, if elected, work with Congress on legislation. And the policy proposals made by the campaigns will change significantly in the legislative process, if that happens. All of this is even more true in a shortened campaign like this one.

The media and stakeholders seek policy information from candidates in campaigns. Tom Nichols recently said in the Atlantic: “The Kamala Harris campaign seems to understand that it is pointless to fight Donald Trump on policy. Despite criticism from the press and requests for more policy details, Harris and Tim Walz has a good strategy leading up to their national convention.” Nichols complained: “I wish Americans cared more about strategy, but they don’t.”

Health care, after all, isn’t just about bills—it’s about life and death and the burden health care problems can put on patients and families, which we’ve all experienced. The complexity of the system itself can be intimidating to many people when they need it most. But with 92% of the population locked up, it makes sense that people are more focused on affordability right now. It is, as I said earlier, a “big tent” health care issue. Changing health as an economic issue is a reversal of the choices that could have been made in previous years; the issue of politicians who control the public.

See all of Drew’s Beyond the Data Columns