Health care in the future

Trump has no specific plan other than it will be “great,” but not replace the ACA – for now.

Harris has reportedly abandoned a universal coverage/insurance system and will focus on the following.

Harris’ health care platform builds on the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce prescription drug costs.

She is calling to expand the current $35 monthly cap on out-of-pocket costs for insulinand the upcoming $2,000 annual limit on out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs generally to all Americans, not just Medicare enrollees. These caps were put in place for those on Medicare in the Inflation Reduction Act. The $2,000 limit on Medicare Part D drug costs takes effect in January.

(The three major insulin manufacturers in the US offer price caps or savings programs that lower the cost of insulin to $35 for many patients – a move Biden pushed for in his State of the Union address last year.)

Harris’ plan would also accelerate the speed of Medicare’s drug price negotiations so that the costs of more medications come down faster. The Biden administration just announced the results of the first-ever round of negotiations, which is expected to result in $6 billion in savings for Medicare and a $1.5 billion reduction in out-of-pocket costs for seniors when the lower prices take effect in 2026.

Source: CNN summary

It’s all gobbledegook – smoke and mirrors!

We will get nowhere in terms of efficiency, coverage for all, or better cost management until we accept that a universal single-payer system is the only viable answer.

Everything else the US has tried for decades has failed and what is talked about in the 21st century is merely chipping at the edges and doing nothing to assure universal coverage.