It’s becoming evident that many of the measures from Joe Biden’s administration won’t be included in President Donald Trump’s health care strategy for his second term.
Trump signed a comprehensive order on Monday that aims to partially reverse a number of executive orders from the Biden administration on health care, including initiatives to improve the Affordable Care Act, increase protections for Medicaid enrollees, and lower the cost of prescription medications for those on Medicare and Medicaid. The Trump White House claims that the so-called initial rescissions order targets Biden’s policies, which it claims are radical and extremely unpopular.
Experts predict that many Americans’ out-of-pocket medical expenses will be negligible as a result of Trump’s actions.
For instance, a Biden initiative that Trump revoked had instructed Medicare to investigate measures to reduce drug costs, such as imposing a $2 monthly out-of-pocket cap on some generic medications.
However, according to Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy expert at Nashville, Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University, the program was still in the planning stages and it was uncertain if it would ever be put into action.
Trump’s executive moves Monday had no impact on Biden’s larger health care measures, including Medicare’s negotiating drug pricing clause, a $2k annual out-of-pocket cap on prescription medications, and a $35 monthly cap on insulin.
According to Dusetzina, when administrations change, many of them wish to reverse some of the previous presidents’ policies, even if they were primarily symbolic.
However, Trump’s action suggests that the incoming government might not be inclined to pursue any of the measures that its predecessor outlined, she said.
According to her, it might indicate that the Trump administration has no interest in continuing any of the work that has now emerged from these executive orders.
A change in priorities
Experts note that some of Monday’s moves were anticipated, such as weakening Obamacare, commonly known as the Affordable Care Act, which was a top priority throughout Trump’s first term.
Trump reversed a rule that had given uninsured Americans extra time to enroll in Obamacare by extending the open enrollment period by 12 weeks in 36 states.
Additionally, he revoked an order that increased outreach funds for states as part of a plan to enhance Medicaid.
However, according to Larry Levitt, executive vice president of health policy at KFF, a nonprofit organization that studies health policy issues, several of the policies that were repealed had previously supported Trump’s objectives, thus suggesting a shift in his priorities.
According to Levitt, Trump’s decision to revoke Biden’s directive to investigate novel approaches to reduce prescription drug out-of-pocket expenses may indicate a lack of commitment to tackling the nation’s health care crisis.
Trump claimed that he was essentially starting over. Day 1 of the current Trump administration differs from Day 1 of the previous one in terms of how health care is handled.
According to Levitt, the Trump administration’s support for Medicare’s prescription price negotiations, a crucial component of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, is still unknown. Medicare revealed last week that Ozempic and Wegovy are among the next set of prescription medications up for negotiation.
According to Levitt, Trump might indicate that he intends to try to repeal it or that he wants to continue negotiating prescription prices. There is much flexibility for the Trump administration to decide whether to bargain more or less vigorously.
For the time being, it seems that Trump is moving cautiously on health care costs, leaving Biden’s larger projects alone, according to Arthur Caplan, dean of the medical ethics division at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.
According to Caplan, Trump is aware that the United States pays significantly higher costs for healthcare than other nations and that the government may need to step in, despite his support for a minimal approach to governance.
Caplan expressed his expectation that Trump will keep the Medicare bargaining clause in effect.
According to Caplan, he appears to be nibbling on the edges at the moment. I hope he doesn’t go any farther, though.