Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Health care: The big issue Trump and Clinton choose to ignore

Manoj Jain, MD, MPH
Policy
October 17, 2016
Share
Tweet
Share

For me, the saddest part of the 2016 presidential election is not that we have two of the most disliked presidential candidates in history but that so little attention is being paid to health care.

You may have noticed that health care rarely comes up in campaign speeches or in debates, and when it does it’s often scripted empty promises. Donald Trump has a plan entitled “Healthcare Reform to Make America Great Again.” Hillary Clinton talks about having fought for health care her entire career. It’s unclear if either of them — or indeed any candidate — can make a meaningful change.

Donald Trump talks about repealing the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and replacing it with “something terrific.” That “terrific” is vague or a secret plan — maybe similar to the secret plan to defeat ISIS. Hillary Clinton talks about “universal, quality, affordable health care” by building on the ACA, but is vague about how she would persuade a Republican-controlled Congress to support her.

To set the record straight, the two candidates were invited by the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, for this week’s edition, to provide their visions of health care in America. Hillary Clinton presented a four-point plan, and Donald Trump did not respond.

Clinton would improve the ACA, make health care more affordable, integrate health care, and secure true innovation. The Clinton plan would provide $5,000 tax credits per family for out-of-pocket costs. Additionally, it would limit out-of-pocket prescription drug costs to $250 a month.

According to his website, Donald Trump’s plan is to repeal the ACA, allow people to purchase insurance across state lines, and provide states with block grants for Medicaid, among other provisions. Trump’s plan would leave 18 million Americans, presently covered under the ACA, without health insurance, eliminate preexisting conditions requirement for insurance and not allow young adults up to age 26 to be covered on their parent’s insurance policy.

Experts say allowing insurers to sell across state lines will have little impact, and that block grants for Medicaid, a long-held position by the Republican party, would cap some Medicaid costs.

Something both candidates agree on is allowing Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies in order to lower drug prices and prevent price gouging — as we have seen from the manufacturer of EpiPen.

Sadly, neither plan, Republican nor Democratic, meaningfully addresses the ticking time bomb for the nation: the rising cost of health care, due in part to overuse and unnecessary care.

Repealing the ACA would do nothing to bring costs down — in fact, according to factcheck.org, during 2002 to 2006 under George W. Bush, health care premiums rose at a higher rate (58 percent) compared to the increase under Obama (33 percent), with the ACA in effect.

Addressing health care costs must be the No. 1 health care priority for the next president. The two plans at present are much like moving deck chairs on the Titanic.

America spends nearly a fifth of its GDP on health care, in effect siphoning money from needs such as education such as infrastructure. High employee insurance costs also limit American companies’ ability to expand. The cost to taxpayers for treating a 95-year-old nursing home patient with dementia on the ventilator in the ICU for over a week exceeds the cost of a teacher’s one-year salary. Yet we can’t seem to see this as a priority for society or the government.

Reforming health care takes political capital — and at times angering the voter base. More so, too many vested interests have their hands in the $3 trillion ($9,523 per person) health care cookie jar. No matter who wins, the public will need to push for continued reform of our health care system. This is the only way real change will happen.

ADVERTISEMENT

Manoj Jain is an infectious disease physician and contributor to the Washington Post and the Commercial Appeal.  He can be reached at his self-titled site, Dr. Manoj Jain. 

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Why it's important for physicians to have hobbies

October 17, 2016 Kevin 1
…
Next

Take the time to understand patients’ goals when giving treatment recommendations

October 17, 2016 Kevin 5
…

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Why it's important for physicians to have hobbies
Next Post >
Take the time to understand patients’ goals when giving treatment recommendations

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Manoj Jain, MD, MPH

  • 3 steps to a better health care system

    Manoj Jain, MD, MPH
  • How this physician transitions to becoming an empty nester

    Manoj Jain, MD, MPH
  • Health care in American is on life support, and the future is uncharted

    Manoj Jain, MD, MPH

Related Posts

  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers
  • Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Why health care replaced physician care

    Michael Weiss, MD
  • Health care is not a service commodity

    Peter Spence, MD, MBA
  • Why the health care industry must prioritize health equity

    George T. Mathew, MD, MBA
  • Improve mental health by improving how we finance health care

    Steven Siegel, MD, PhD

More in Policy

  • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

    AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section
  • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

    Joshua Vasquez, MD
  • Online eye exams spark legal battle over health care access

    Joshua Windham, JD and Daryl James
  • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

    Holland Haynie, MD
  • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

    Dave Cummings, RN
  • Healing the doctor-patient relationship by attacking administrative inefficiencies

    Allen Fredrickson
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

      Michael Wakeman | Tech

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 29 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

      Michael Wakeman | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Health care: The big issue Trump and Clinton choose to ignore
29 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...