The 2024 presidential election is lower than three weeks away. Whether or not Kamala Harris or Donald Trump win the race, the U.S. healthcare system is for certain to endure some modifications on account of the election.
This week, worldwide consultancy BRG hosted a webinar through which its consultants mentioned a few of the candidates’ key stances on healthcare. Â
Company governance and payer ramifications
A Harris presidency could be extra energetic on the antitrust entrance than a Trump presidency, stated Thomas O’Neil, managing director at BRG.
In the course of the Biden-Harris administration, the Division of Justice has initiated an “unprecedented quantity” of antitrust and anticompetitive habits investigations, he famous.Â
Though the prior Trump-Pence administration initiated considerably fewer antitrust investigations, it did problem key offers, such because the CVS Caremark-Aetna deal, O’Neil identified.
He additionally famous that each presidential candidates have demonstrated a dedication to enhancing Medicare Benefit.
The present Biden-Harris administration is growing transparency within the Medicare Benefit insurance coverage market, in addition to working towards strengthening programmatic information, O’Neil remarked. As for Trump, he signed govt orders that improved Medicare Benefit beneficiaries’ entry to tax advantaged financial savings accounts and paid for restricted long-term care bills, he stated.
Moreover, O’Neil identified {that a} Harris presidency would most likely be more durable on healthcare fraud than a Trump presidency.
The Biden-Harris administration has elevated the enforcement of rules associated to healthcare fraud, waste and abuse — notably in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, he stated.Â
A Trump presidency would most probably imply “extra regulatory flexibility” and “looser requirements” for the enforcement of fraud safety legal guidelines, O’Neil remarked. He famous that the Trump administration elevated regulatory flexibility for the Anti-Kickback Statute and Doctor Self-Referral (Stark) Regulation.
Worth-based care and CMS
The candidates have totally different stances on Reasonably priced Care Act alternate subsidies.Â
The Biden-Harris administration expanded subsidies via the top of 2025, and Harris would probably assist extending them if she is elected president, stated Patrick Dooley, managing director at BRG. The Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to repeal the ACA, he added.
As for Medicaid, Harris would most likely work to increase entry, whereas Trump would work to cut back entry, Dooley stated.Â
He famous that Harris is prone to increase Medicaid in states that haven’t already completed so, in addition to lengthen extra Medicaid advantages to cowl health-related social wants.Â
As for Trump, Dooley stated that he’s prone to proceed efforts from his first time period to extend work necessities for Medicaid enrollees. He additionally stated that Trump could make cuts to the Medicaid program or discover block grants for states.
AI regulation
Regardless of their stark variations in rhetoric, Harris and Trump campaigns have fairly related views on the subject of AI, identified Amy Reeder Worley, managing director at BRG.
“Each Vice President Harris and President Trump have been targeted on what I’ll name the provision facet of AI in healthcare — actually specializing in initiatives to drive innovation for higher care, for sufferers, for suppliers and for payers. I might say each Vice President Harris and President Trump are optimistic about AI’s guarantees to assist greater than it hurts,” she declared.
Each candidates would assist additional AI innovation if elected, Reeder Worley added. She famous that Harris is a Californian with information of the tech sector, and J.D. Vance has connections to Silicon Valley leaders who’ve traditionally opposed regulation.
Drug pricing reform
Whoever wins the presidential election can be tasked with implementing the Inflation Discount Act, which permits for the negotiations of Medicare drug costs, stated John Barkett, managing director at BRG.
“If the individual receiving that baton is Vice President Harris, I anticipate her to construct off President Biden’s and her administration’s drug pricing reform efforts. She’s talked about how she would wish to see Medicare drug negotiations expanded — that means extra medicine for negotiations. It may additionally imply deciding on medicine which have been in the marketplace for much less time. It may additionally imply decreasing the ceiling value for provides that the Secretary may make to drug producers after they negotiate,” he defined.
He additionally famous that Harris would probably increase the $35 insulin value cap to all. This implies she would assist laws making use of the $35-or-less co-pay coverage to non-Medicare populations.
Barkett added that Harris would assist efforts to reform pharmacy profit managers — together with extra oversight from federal competitors authorities.
As for Trump, he would possibly attempt to set up worldwide reference pricing insurance policies, Barkett stated. These are insurance policies through which Medicare wouldn’t pay any extra for a drug than the costs charged for that very same drug in different nations.Â
Trump may additionally attempt to deliver again insurance policies that his earlier presidential administration failed to ascertain. A few of these embrace insurance policies eliminating rebates and enjoyable formulary requirements in Medicare Half D, in addition to legal guidelines that might enhance state adoption of drug importation coverage, Barkett remarked.
Photograph: Niyazz, Getty Photos
