It’s the economy, stupid … but it should also be healthcare

Some of my earliest political memories revolve around the New Hampshire primary for the 2008 U.S. presidential election. I was a high school student at Hanover High School in Hanover, New Hampshire, and eager to make my voice heard, I cast my first vote as a newly minted 18-year-old in November 2008. I knew I needed to be prepared and well-informed. . It was my duty and part of the cultural fabric of New Hampshire (which remains today).

So even though I knew I wouldn't be able to vote until November due to my age, I made sure to listen to all the candidates' arguments during the primary, both those I agreed with and those I didn't. .

I have attended town halls, listened to advertisements, and witnessed speeches to audiences ranging from dozens to hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of people. Interestingly, I recall health care being a top priority for many campaigns and a policy area that impacted (mostly negatively) Americans of all backgrounds. That always stuck with me.

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Everyone promised to fix the problem. Providing affordable, quality health care to all Americans is a universal goal, and each candidate differed in the details of how to achieve it.

Fast forward more than 15 years, and despite continued promises and even the passage of much-touted legislation, such as the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Obamacare more than a decade ago, healthcare Still not “fixed”. Some might argue that some progress has been made, but it's not enough.

Costs continue to rise, clinical outcomes are often inconsistent, prescription drug prices remain astronomically high for many, and access remains uneven across myriad demographics.

These factors, combined with historic inflation and a mass exodus of burnt-out health care professionals amid increasing bureaucratic barriers to care and reimbursement cuts, mean that health care continues to fall short in New Hampshire and across the nation. It's no surprise that it's a major concern of voters. In fact, eight in 10 voters say health care affordability is “very important” for candidates to discuss during election campaigns.

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Leading Republican candidates are beginning to recognize the importance of health care, not just to President Joe Biden but to voters.

In late November, former President Donald Trump announced that he was “seriously considering alternatives” to the ACA if elected to a second term, but details have not yet been released. The former president achieved several medical victories during his time in the White House.

These include leading bipartisan efforts on health care price transparency, supported by nine out of 10 Americans and continuing under the Biden administration, and former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Seema -Includes initiatives such as “Prioritize patients over paperwork'' launched by Verma. He also advanced a “right to try” policy to allow Americans who are sadly terminally ill to seek access to investigational drugs.

However, as the race for the Republican nomination for the 2024 U.S. presidential election intensifies, Trump is not the only one to start working on health care. Former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is also reluctant about the ACA, but emphasizes the importance of medical malpractice reform and the need to encourage doctors and patients to move beyond focusing solely on “defensive medicine,” which drives up costs. He emphasized the need to work together to improve health. By encouraging unnecessary accommodations to avoid litigation.

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Fast forward more than 15 years, and despite continued promises and even the passage of much-touted legislation, such as the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Obamacare more than a decade ago, healthcare Still not “fixed”. Some might argue that some progress has been made, but it's not enough.

Additionally, her support for health savings accounts and willingness to acknowledge that the next president must grapple with the reality that many entitlement programs, including Medicare, are underfunded and in need of overhaul are important to the nation's It shows her understanding that we must address the medical issues that are negatively impacting the population.

And what about the rest of the Republican candidates? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently reported that his health plan would “replace” the ACA, but no clear details were provided. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has been pushing for more choice and competition in health insurance that covers “actual health.”

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