Categories: Presidential Candidates

2016 Presidential Candidates on the Issues: Healthcare Reform

Healthcare is much on the minds of the American people of all income levels, and for all the coverage that the issue receives, there’s surprisingly little of substance being said by many of the 2016 Presidential candidates in the run-up to Election Day. Below is some of the information available on the candidates’ various positions concerning healthcare reform and insurance issues.

Republican Party
Jeb (John Ellis) Bush	Tenet Healthcare Board of Directors 2007-Present, Former Governor of Florida 1999- 2007. Would repeal and replace Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act), providing a “transition plan” for those already in the system. Allow people to buy cheaper “catastrophic” plans that would eliminate many of the benefits now required by law. He would keep the Cadillac Tax on super expensive health plans. Create block grants to states for their healthcare spending. Plan emphasizes high deductible plans in conjunction with healthcare savings accounts.
Ben Carson	Johns Hopkins Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery 1984-2013. Author. Make the insurance companies into non-profit organizations. Have the government issue catastrophic care policies – like FEMA does for flood insurance. Replace Obamacare with Health Empowerment Accounts, subsidize these accounts for the poor.
Ted Cruz	United States Senator from Texas 2013-Present, Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP 2008-2013, Solicitor General of Texas 2003-2008. Associate deputy attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice; director of the Office of Policy Planning, Federal Trade Commission both positions held during the Bush Administration. Supports repealing and has vowed to repeal Obamacare and replacing it with market-based insurance. Seems to be confused as to whether he has health insurance or not. No healthcare plan under the Issues section of the campaign website.
John Kasich	Governor, State of Ohio, 2011-present, US House of Representatives, 12^thcongressional district of Ohio 1983-2001, candidate for President 2000, Lehman Brothers, Managing Director; Columbus, Ohio. Would repeal and replace Obamacare. More preventative care and primary care. Contain costs. Expanded Medicaid in Ohio
Marco Rubio	United States Senator from Florida 2010-Present, Professor, Florida International University, Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs 2008-Present, Representative, 111^th District, Florida House of Representatives 2000-2008, City Commissioner for West Miami, Florida. Repeal and replace with a market based alternative. Reform insurance regulation to insure that people with pre-existing conditions like cancer, diabetes, or other illnesses would be able to access coverage.
Donald Trump	Real Estate, Construction, Entertainment, Casinos, Golf, other ventures under Elizabeth Trump & Son, Trump Enterprises, and The Trump Organization. Candidate has no stated plan or position on his current website. Has at times advocated for single payer, but also wants to repeal and replace Obamacare with health savings accounts – which already exist. Um. I don’t know. This? “We’ll work something out.”

Republican Party

Jeb (John Ellis)

Bush

Tenet Healthcare Board of Directors 2007-Present, Former Governor of Florida 1999- 2007.

Would repeal and replace Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act), providing a “transition plan” for those already in the system.
Allow people to buy cheaper “catastrophic” plans that would eliminate many of the benefits now required by law.
He would keep the Cadillac Tax on super expensive health plans.
Create block grants to states for their healthcare spending.
Plan emphasizes high deductible plans in conjunction with healthcare savings accounts.

Ben Carson

Johns Hopkins Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery 1984-2013. Author.

Make the insurance companies into non-profit organizations.
Have the government issue catastrophic care policies – like FEMA does for flood insurance.
Replace Obamacare with Health Empowerment Accounts, subsidize these accounts for the poor.

Ted Cruz

United States Senator from Texas 2013-Present, Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP 2008-2013, Solicitor General of Texas 2003-2008. Associate deputy attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice; director of the Office of Policy Planning, Federal Trade Commission both positions held during the Bush Administration.

John Kasich

Governor, State of Ohio, 2011-present, US House of Representatives, 12^thcongressional district of Ohio 1983-2001, candidate for President 2000, Lehman Brothers, Managing Director; Columbus, Ohio.

Would repeal and replace Obamacare.
More preventative care and primary care.
Contain costs.
Expanded Medicaid in Ohio

Marco Rubio

United States Senator from Florida 2010-Present, Professor, Florida International University, Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs 2008-Present, Representative, 111^th District, Florida House of Representatives 2000-2008, City Commissioner for West Miami, Florida.

Repeal and replace with a market based alternative.
Reform insurance regulation to insure that people with pre-existing conditions like cancer, diabetes, or other illnesses would be able to access coverage.

Donald Trump

Real Estate, Construction, Entertainment, Casinos, Golf, other ventures under Elizabeth Trump & Son, Trump Enterprises, and The Trump Organization.

Democratic Party

Hillary Clinton

Clinton Foundation 2013-2015, Secretary of State 2009-2013, candidate for President 2008 election United States Senator from New York 2001-2009.

Expand Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) and crack down on profiteering drug companies.
Expand healthcare accessibility to people living in rural America, who often don’t have quality or affordable healthcare providers at hand.
Lower co-pays and deductibles and get tough with insurance companies.

Bernie Sanders

US House of Representatives, State of Vermont At-Large District 1991-2007, and United States Senator for Vermont 2007-Present.

Notes that every other industrialized “First World” nation has a universal healthcare system.
Views healthcare as the right of every man, woman, and child in America.
Advocates for “Medicare for All” or a single payer system in which the government pays the health care costs for the people and negotiates directly with drug companies and other providers.

While some candidates seem to be putting genuine thought into their positions, others seem to have little in the way of plans and show no signs of taking it seriously. The media focus on sound bites instead of sound and quantifiable policies does a huge disservice to voters who are facing rising costs and may even lose the coverage they obtained under the ACA. The insurance companies can be said to be putting profits ahead of people, shifting more costs to the consumer in the form or higher premiums, higher deductibles, and higher copayments or coinsurance requirements. Hospitals also seem to be getting in on the act by contracting out their emergency room staff to companies that are not in-network.

The American people are owed something better than grandstanding, such as a sober, thoughtful discussion of the issue, and realistic solutions that won’t shove people into bankruptcy just to stay alive.

Find out the 2016 Presidential Candidates position on Bankruptcy Reform