President Trump has been working towards making lowering health-care prices one of the critical issues of his administration as the 2020 elections draw closer, and health care remains a top issue for voters across the nation. On Thursday afternoon, Trump is planning on laying out his own vision for the future of health care and is also expected to sign an executive order which will call for initiatives to reduce Medicare fraud as well as boosting private Medicare plans.
Medicare 2020
On Thursday, Trump plans on discussing his views on the future of Medicare. Traveling to Florida, a popular battleground for presidential candidates as they fight for voters, Trump will be talking about how he plans on bolstering private Medicare plans and reducing fraud in the Medicare industry. With the possibility of signing an executive order in the near future, Trump will lay out his plans to get agencies to expand saving accounts for senior citizens. According to officials, the order will also direct Medicare agencies to shorten the time it takes for the government to pay for newly introduced therapies. [1]
The order will also allegedly call for a more extensive role of nurse practitioners as well as a review of the Medicare enrollment process to make sure private Medicare is promoted over traditional plans.
Although some believe that Trump’s sudden interest in health care comes from the desire to move past the recent whistleblower complaint and impeachment efforts in Washington, it may also help him gain some votes for the 2020 election.
Medicare for All
One of the most popular issues discussed by presidential candidates currently is health care- specifically Medicare for All, which is rumored to pose a threat to the coverage of millions of seniors. Medicare for All has become a central campaign issue for Democrats, causing division as each candidate proposes a different version of Medicare for All.
Arguably, one of the most dramatic proposals is from Democratic candidate, Bernie Sanders, who is calling for the removal of all private health insurance- replacing it with a universal Medicare plan.
Medicare for All isn’t “just impractical but morally wrong,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma said. “I’m deeply concerned about proposals that eviscerate Medicare by indiscriminately stripping private health insurance.” [2]
Notes:
- ^Armour, Stephanie. “Trump to Target Medicare-for-All Proposals in Re-Election Campaign.” WSJ, 3 Oct. 2019, www.wsj.com/articles/trump-to-target-medicare-for-all-proposals-in-re-election-campaign-11570104191. (go back ↩)
- ^Lovelace, Berkeley, Jr. “Trump to issue executive order ‘protecting’ Americans from ‘Medicare for All’ campaign proposals pushed by Democrats.” CNBC, 3 Oct. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/10/03/trump-to-issue-executive-order-protecting-americans-from-medicare-for-all.html. (go back ↩)
