Donald Trump vs Joe Biden: How The Election Will Impact Healthcare | Forbes

Universal health care is a long contested political point in the United States. And in 2020, it seems that its future is as uncertain as ever.

The Obama administration passed the Affordable Care Act (also referred to as the “ACA” or “Obamacare”) in 2010, marking it as one of the largest health care reforms in modern history. The law greatly expanded health care to citizens by providing subsidies and requiring universal enrollment. In 2010, 22.3% of Americans were uninsured; in 2016, just two years after states implemented the ACA and expanded Medicaid, that number dropped to 12.4%.

Under Trump, key parts of the law have also been undercut. The administration has cut back on spending for in-person enrollment assistance at centers dedicated to helping people find and sign-up for insurance plans on the marketplace. It also ended cost-sharing subsidies, which helped insurers pay for the out-of-pocket cost assistance offered to low-income Americans. These actions lowered enrollment numbers and raised premiums, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. A KFF analysis found ACA silver plan premium increases ranged from 7% to 38% as a result of ending the cost-sharing subsidies.

As the current presidential term draws to a close, Trump has not successfully repealed the ACA, nor has he presented a replacement.
Democratic Presidential candidate and Vice President Joe Biden, who served in the administration that passed the ACA, has made fixing the law a focal part of his presidential campaign.

An analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) finds Biden’s plan would lower the cost of “nearly all current ACA Marketplace enrollees, as well as those who are currently priced out of the market.” The analysis includes an example of a 40-year-old making $50,000 per year saving 32% on their gold plan premiums each month.

The issue, however, is Biden’s plan will increase federal spending. KFF does not give an estimate of by how much. With the current federal deficit sitting at $3 trillion—an all-time high—adding more federal costs could become a major source of contention among lawmakers in Washington.

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[maysmith]

If the ACA is done away with many of his supporters will also lose coverage as well. I wonder how they feel about that.

[alext]

As someone that doesn’t support either party I wish this would have been a bit more unbiased and if it is I wish it would have been worded differently

[garybrown]

Lies i have not had insurance since buss

[monicamason]

Why can about 117 countries including mine (Canada) have universal healthcare and the United States not able to do it? Can't they model a system for their people on another country's system? I applauded Obamacare for trying to do better when I can't remember any other administration tackling it (my memory goes back to Reagan, though I was born in 1976). I now go once year to get a prescription renewal and a random blood test to check that my Crohn's is still in remission. I go for a pap smear when the letter comes. Never thinking about paying for anything. $15 for a work note to help me manage my stress (cause of my Crohn's). Went to many doctor visits and in the end a specialist when my illness was diagnosed finally. I didn't have to worry about costs seeing 3 doctors several times and years of seeing a specialist or my 2 month long stays in the hospital when I was near death. Paid $50 for TV at my bedside. Have had 2 colonoscopies, stitches, laser surgery, tubes tied, throat surgery, trips to ER for excruciating mensural and post-op pain and a trip for severe dehydration from a weird virus picked up at a family function. Paid nothing. My mom only paid $34 a month to cover herself and 2 kids in the 1990's. I'm poor and pay nothing, though do have coverage through my husband's work plan which also covers 70% dental which I wish was universal as well. Wait times can be long (6 years for throat surgery-82lbs when I got it), but I'll take that over nothing or high monthly premiums.