Last week’s Republican sweep is set to have far-reaching implications for U.S. health care policy. With Republicans taking the Senate and possibly maintaining narrow control of the House, the incoming Trump administration and Congress are poised to push through regulations and legislation along party lines. Policies they are likely to consider include the following:
Health Care Coverage: There will likely be a push to reduce regulations and increase flexibilities for insurers and states, to roll back consumer protections and to encourage alternatives like Health Savings Accounts and short-term plans. Enhanced subsidies are unlikely to continue.
Public Health: Implementation of a “Make America Healthy Again” platform led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. along with restructuring and shrinking of public health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health.
Medicaid: Expect budget cuts, stricter enrollment policies and expanded state flexibility through waivers for work requirements, drug testing and other coverage barriers.
Medicare: Focus on Medicare Advantage flexibility, physician payment reforms, value-based care changes and greater price transparency. Some oversight on plans may decrease, while scrutiny of insurance practices that limit care continues.
Prescription Drug Pricing: Efforts to alter the Inflation Reduction Act’s price negotiations delay/slow down further IRA implementation and scrutinize Pharmacy Benefit Managers.
Reproductive Health: Likely rollback of protections for contraception access, along with the reinstatement of policies limiting federal family planning funding and expanding refusal or conscience clauses.
LGBTQ+ and Minority Health: Likely reductions in gender-affirming care access and a shift away from health equity efforts in favor of addressing rural health disparities.
