There has been a lot of speculation about what Joe Biden’s administration will do to improve health care in this country. The lofty campaign promises always hit the harsh wall of reality once a candidate is in office. In this case “reality” includes industry lobbying and political tug-of-wars in Washington D.C.
Speculation is heating up as the administration prepares their $2 trillion infrastructure package. Let’s take a look at the most talked about potential health care changes.
Affordable Care Act (ACA) Subsidies
The American Rescue Plan increased subsidies for many people buying ACA plans. But as I discussed in my recent post, the increases are temporary. Nancy Pelosi wants to prioritize making them permanent.
Coverage for Poor Adults
Several states chose not to expand Medicaid coverage for poor adults. The infrastructure package could provide other means of coverage in those states. This would further decreased the number of uninsured adults in the U.S.
More Medicare
Lowering the age of Medicare eligibility was part of many political debates last year. Bernie Sanders has consistently been pushing for lowering the age from 65 to 55 or 60. He also advocates for adding dental, vision, and hearing care to Medical enrollees.
Hospitals are one large group that opposes this idea. Expect to see a lot of lobbying from them if this proposal is seriously considered.
Prescription Drug Prices
Health care changes are costly. One way to pay for part of them is to let Medicare, rather than private plans, negotiate drug prices. Seniors have been clamoring for reduced drug prices. So this could be a win-win. Except the pharmaceutical industry, like hospitals, is a huge lobbying power. Don’t expect this change to happen to any degree without a huge fight.
If you’d like to do a deeper dive into health care policies, check out Kaiser Health News’ on-line tracker. You’ll find regular updates of Biden’s response to Trump administration’s “significant health care policies.” It’s a long list, literally from A (ACA) to W (Women’s Health), with topics alphabetized for easy tracking.
I’ll be following these debates and discussions closely, sharing the highlights with you as significant changes occur. Let me know your opinions or what policies you’re particularly interested in!