We Posed Health Care Questions to Presidential Candidates: Here's Where Joe Biden Stands
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Editor's Note: In our November 2020 issue, we published a piece called Your Health Is on the Ballot: Why You Should Vote for Science in the 2020 Presidential Election. In it, we posed seven questions to ask political candidates in any race. While this op-ed reflects the opinions of the Biden/Harris ticket for the 2020 presidential election, Prevention did reach out to the Trump/Pence re-election campaign as well. At the time of publication, we haven't received a response. If we do, this article will be updated with a link to their comments.
As I meet with constituents throughout my state of Delaware, I hear stories every day about their top concern: health care. They’re worried that if President Trump is successful in tearing down the Affordable Care Act, they might lose protections they now have that prevent insurers from discriminating against them if they have a pre-existing condition or that they could be in the position of having to choose between the health care they need and putting food on the table.
It doesn’t need to be that way. Health care is a right for everyone in this country. And, quite simply, our lives depend on it. Prevention posed important questions to ask political candidates, questions that all Americans should be asking as we head into the most important election of our lifetimes. And I’m here to share what you need to know about the plan that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will pursue.
Listening to the science, responding to COVID-19, and preparing for future pandemics.
More than 220,000 Americans have died from this virus and more than 7 million have been infected—we know it didn’t have to be this bad. We need leaders who will listen to experts and have a plan that is guided by science to get this virus under control. That’s Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and they’ll start on day one. They have a comprehensive plan to protect Americans by calling on everyone to wear a mask; providing free testing, treatment, and vaccines; enhancing the nation’s contact tracing capacity; and ensuring supplies and treatment are distributed fairly. They’ll be honest and transparent with the American people so that businesses and schools can reopen safely. And, as we look to the future, they will make sure we’re ready for whatever comes our way by boosting funding for biomedical research and disease surveillance—and coordinating a global response to prevent the next pandemic.
Protecting and building on the Affordable Care Act to lower costs and expand coverage.
Joe Biden knows health care is a right for all Americans. He’s lived it, and he has a plan for it. He knows that addressing the nation’s health care system isn’t just about making sure people can get the care they need; it is also about making sure it doesn’t bankrupt them. He fought side-by-side with President Obama to enact the Affordable Care Act, which has expanded coverage for 20 million Americans and stopped insurance companies from charging high premiums or denying care to more than 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. It required insurance plans to cover critical recommended preventive services free of charge, allowed children to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26, and ended annual and lifetime caps. But as we speak, President Trump is attempting to strike down the Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court—in the middle of a pandemic. Additionally, his appointment to the Supreme Court is on record opposing the decision that upheld the Affordable Care Act.
Joe and Kamala will protect and build on the Affordable Care Act, including giving Americans a new choice—a not-for-profit public health insurance option—which will give private insurers a real competitor. They’ll increase subsidies so your premiums are lower and you can afford plans with lower deductibles and out-of-pocket spending. And they’ll take on pharmaceutical companies with a plan that slashes the cost of prescription drugs by 60%. This plan will also bring relief to small businesses that are struggling to afford coverage for their employees.
Covering reproductive health care and improving maternal health care.
The Affordable Care Act made historic progress by ensuring access to free preventive care, including contraception. Joe and Kamala will build on that progress by ensuring their new public insurance option covers contraception. They will repeal the Hyde Amendment, because health care is a right that should not be dependent on one’s zip code or income. The public option will cover a woman’s constitutional right under Roe v. Wade and they will work to codify it and stop state laws that violate it. They’ll also restore funding for Planned Parenthood and other providers, and reverse the Trump Administration’s rule preventing these organizations from obtaining Title X funds.
Additionally, Joe and Kamala will address the unacceptably high maternal mortality rate, which is a crisis for women—especially women of color. California halved its maternal death rate with a strategy that they will take nationwide. This will be a priority for their administration.
Addressing racial and other disparities in health care and diversifying our health care workforce.
With COVID-19 devastating our country, racial disparities have become even more apparent. Joe has called on Congress to immediately enact Kamala Harris’s bill to create a task force to address the racial disparities that have been laid bare by this pandemic. And Joe and Kamala will do everything in their power to eliminate health care disparities. In addition to expanding coverage and lowering costs, Joe and Kamala will increase access to care, including by doubling funding for community health centers, which provide primary, prenatal, and other important care to underserved populations, and improve access to health care in rural communities. They will also improve care for patients with chronic conditions by coordinating among all of a patient’s doctors and improve access to mental health care. They will address social determinants of health, like housing, transportation, living wage, and clean air and water. And they will grow and diversify the health workforce, including investing over $70 billion at HBCUs and MSIs with funding targeted to graduate health programs.
There’s no doubt that health care is on the ballot this election. And in the midst of a global pandemic, which has taken the lives of more than 220,000 Americans and upended the lives of every American, we need real leadership that will make it a priority to get a handle on the virus and build back better so that every American has access to affordable, quality health care. That’s why I support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and I hope you’ll visit iwillvote.com now to make a plan to vote and join me in supporting this historic ticket.
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