With Election Day less than six weeks away, this week’s graphic compares the positions of Vice President Harris and former President Trump on three of this cycle’s most important healthcare policy issues: competition, Medicare, and the cost of coverage. The candidates are more aligned on these issues than in many recent elections, with each framing much of their healthcare agenda around affordability, a top concern for voters. Both Harris and Trump have a history of opposing consolidation in healthcare and believe that increased competition will lower healthcare costs. They are also opposed to cutting Medicare benefits, and each have voiced support for Medicare negotiating the price of drugs, with Harris advocating for this program’s expansion. However, some Republican legislators have been skeptical of this policy and may try to repeal it. Both candidates would also likely further efforts to stop surprise billing and reduce prescription drug prices. Although they share a surprising consensus on certain issues, the candidates have sharply divergent attitudes toward reproductive rights and the Affordable Care Act, which may be decisive factors in the election. Action on these and other important health policies, such as Medicare outpatient payment levels, will be largely affected by which party controls Congress, and that too is looking like a toss-up.
