COVER STORY 2020 VISION — OR REVISION?
Health Care Fight Is Still About ACA President Donald Trump wants to kill it. Joe Biden wants to save it.
W By Susan Rupe
hen former Vice President Joe Biden became the Democratic presidential nominee, it essentially took “Medicare for All” off the table, even though a majority of Democrats say they want it. Medicare for All, a government-run single-payer health plan, was supported by many Democratic presidential candidates during the primaries as well as a number of Democrats in Congress. Public support is about 3-1 in favor of Medicare for All, according to a HillHarrisX survey. About two-thirds (67%) of registered voters in the July 26-27 survey said they would support providing Medicare to every American, while 33% said they oppose it. Nearly nine in 10 Democrats (87%) said they favor Medicare for All, while only 46% of Republicans said they want it. When the same survey was taken in October 2018, 70% of voters supported the idea, while an April 2020 survey found that 69% approved of providing Medicare to every American. But Biden does support adding a government-run public option, a Medicare-like public insurance option in the health insurance marketplace. The public option would give consumers the choice to purchase health insurance through a program that would compete with private insurance. The industry opposes the public option, contending that it would be less expensive than private insurance and would eventually drive private companies out of business.
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InsuranceNewsNet Magazine » October 2020
Where They Stand On Health Care Reform It is important to note that legislation is required for the major health care reforms proposed by Biden and Trump. The makeup of Congress will impact how much of the president’s agenda is actually enacted into law. Position
Biden
Trump
Preserve and Protect the ACA
Defend the ACA from congressional and legal challenges
Supports a lawsuit in the Supreme Court to repeal the ACA
Promote NonACA-Compliant Plans
Likely to oppose
Encourages short-term, limited duration health plans and Association Health Plans
Changes to the ACA Marketplace
Eliminate 400% income cap on tax credit eligibility; lower maximum income cost contribution; base subsidies on highervalue plans
Reduce enrollment support for consumers; restrict silver-loading; end auto-reenrollment
Changes to the Medicare Program
Extend Medicare eligibility Expand the use of private to Americans aged 60–64 insurers in Medicare Advantage; move away from fee-for-service; implement new consumer transparency measures
Changes to Surprise Billing
Curtail surprise billing
Offer a Medicare-like Implement a public insurance option in New Federal Public Option the Marketplace Health Care Plan
Curtail surprise billing Likely to oppose
Source: Manatt Insights