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Julie Rovner KFF Health News Follow.
Julie Rovner is a chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News' weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health? A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically acclaimed reference book, “Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z,” now in its third edition.
With less than five months to go until the presidential election, abortion is the only health policy issue expected to play a major role, but other issues are likely to feature in the presidential and congressional races. The election could be crucial in determining the future of key health care programs such as Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
In a special episode of KFF Health News' “What the Health?” recorded at the Aspen Ideas: Health festival in Aspen, Colorado, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News Washington Bureau Chief Julie Rovner to discuss how election season will affect major health issues.
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Here are some lessons learned from this week's episode:
Policies around abortion, and reproductive health issues in general, are likely to dominate many elections, as Democrats seek to capitalize on issues that motivate their own party's voters and divide Republican voters. Issues of contraception and IVF play a bigger role in the 2024 election than in past elections. High prescription drug prices — a long-standing symbol and symptom, to frustrated Americans, of the country's dysfunctional health care system — have been a priority for the Biden administration, and the Trump administration before that. But the issue is so elusive, and progress has been so incremental, that it's hard to say which party has the advantage. The fate of many major health programs will depend on who wins the presidency and who controls Congress after this fall's elections. For example, the temporary subsidies that made health insurance more affordable under the Affordable Care Act expire at the end of 2025. If the subsidies aren't renewed, millions of Americans will likely lose insurance again. Traditionally hot-button issues like gun violence, opioid addiction, and mental health aren't big talking points in the 2024 election, but that could change. Finally, big health issues that deserve public debate, like what to do about the country's crumbling long-term care system and the growing shortage of key medical professionals, are unlikely to be campaign issues.
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Frances Ng Audio Producer Emma Hüttemann Editor
This article was reprinted from khn.org, a national newsroom and one of KFF's core operating programs that produces in-depth journalism on health issues and is an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism.
