Where Do Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Stand on Women’s Health Issues?
There’s rather a lot at stake on this presidential election, and women’s health policy will be impacted by our new commander in chief and their administration, regardless of who wins. So, because the 2024 presidential election quick approaches, be sure you know the place Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stand on vital points associated to ladies’s well being and healthcare.
You are able to do a deep dive on every candidate’s stances on their web sites (do your analysis at
KamalaHarris.com and DonaldJTrump.com) however right here’s a fast snapshot of among the key points affecting the well being of girls and individuals assigned feminine at start.
Health Insurance coverage
Inexpensive Care Act (ACA)
Trump
Donald Trump needs to interchange the ACA with “much better healthcare.” Throughout the debate, he talked about that he has a “concept of a plan” for healthcare reform however has not issued specifics.
Trump campaigned in 2016 on repealing and changing the ACA. Although that effort failed, his administration made different modifications, together with zeroing out the penalty for not having insurance coverage, ending certain subsidies, and lowering funding for outreach and enrollment assist.
Medicaid
Medicare
Harris
Harris has stated she is going to defend Medicare by taxing millionaires and billionaires and closing tax loopholes.
As vp, Harris forged the tie-breaking vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, which contained provisions to decrease Medicare prescription costs.
The Harris-Biden administration expanded protection for psychological well being providers and prolonged protection for telehealth by way of December 2024.
Trump
Trump has stated he’ll make no cuts to Medicare and won’t change the retirement age, though no particular insurance policies have been shared.
As president, Trump enacted tax reductions that sped up the depletion of the Medicare Half A Belief Fund and repealed a federal board that was meant to gradual Medicare spending. He elevated Medicare premiums for higher-income beneficiaries. He additionally relaxed Medicare telehealth guidelines to make distant care extra accessible throughout the Covid pandemic.
Little one Tax Credit and Childcare
Harris
Harris helps a $6,000 tax credit for folks of newborns and enhanced little one tax credit ($3,600 for youngsters below 6 and $3,000 for older youngsters).
Harris helps creating federal paid household and medical depart (the present Household and Medical Go away Act ensures unpaid depart) and enhanced funding for childcare suppliers. She proposes a cap on childcare prices to not more than 7% of a family’s income.
Trump
Trump has not issued particular coverage proposals, however at a New York Economic Club event, Trump acknowledged that his proposals to extend tariffs on overseas imports would scale back the prices of childcare. He additionally stated of childcare, “You have to have it.” Trump’s working mate, JD Vance, has stated he helps a $5,000 child tax credit. A extra modest proposal did not cross within the Senate as a consequence of Republican opposition.
LGBTQ Health
Harris
Harris has made a marketing campaign dedication to cross the Equality Act, which protects LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination.
The Biden-Harris administration reinstated Part 1557 of the ACA, which supplies the broadest protections up to now for healthcare based mostly on gender identification and sexual orientation, for transgender individuals, and for gender-affirming care.
Trump
Trump has pledged to ban gender-affirming take care of younger individuals and block using federal funds for gender-affirming care.
Trump has additionally pledged to “Keep men out of women’s sports” as a part of the 2024 Republican pledge to “end left-wing gender insanity.”
As president, Trump created the Division of Conscience and Religious Freedom at HHS and issued final conscience regulation expanded spiritual protections, which created alternatives for LGBTQ-based discrimination in sure circumstances.
Prescription Drug Costs
Harris
Harris helps increasing the variety of medicine that the federal government can negotiate and extending the $35 insulin cap for Medicare recipients to all Individuals.
Harris forged the tie-breaking vote to cross the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires the federal government to barter drug costs on sure medicine, caps out-of-pocket drug prices and limits insulin prices to $35 per thirty days for Medicare enrollees.
Trump
The Trump administration created a voluntary model for Medicare prescription plans to restrict insulin prices to $35 per thirty days and allowed states to import medicines from Canada; nonetheless that was later rescinded. Trump initially supported making a “Most Favored Nation” standing for Medicare to restrict authorities spending on sure medicine however has since backed away from that place.
Reproductive Health
Abortion entry
Trump
Trump has taken credit for the Supreme Courtroom’s determination to overturn Roe v. Wade, which eliminated the constitutional proper to abortion. He favors letting states determine their very own abortion legal guidelines, and he personally helps exceptions to abortion bans in instances of rape, incest, and threats to the mom’s life.
Though Trump has held quite a lot of positions on abortion rights through the years. Just lately, he said that legal guidelines banning abortion after six weeks go too far, however later acknowledged that he plans to vote for such a measure in Florida, his house state. Trump beforehand wouldn’t decide to vetoing a federal abortion ban if Congress passes one, however extra lately posted on social media that he would veto such a ban.
Treatment abortion
Harris
Harris helps the FDA determination to enhance entry to remedy abortion capsules by permitting them to be mailed.
The Biden-Harris administration opposes the interpretation and enforcement of the Comstock Act to forestall sending abortion remedy by way of the mail.
Trump
Trump has prompt he would block availability of remedy abortion capsules at occasions and prompt that he wouldn’t block them at different occasions. Help for leaving abortion coverage to the states permits states to dam entry to all abortion, together with remedy abortion capsules.
Trump has not publicly spoken on his place on the Comstock Act, however many Republican leaders, together with his working mate JD Vance, have referred to as for the enforcement of the Comstock Act to ban the mailing of remedy abortion capsules.
Entry to contraception
Harris
Harris helps the proposed Right to Contraception Act, which protects the fitting to contraceptives.
The Biden-Harris administration is preventing a federal lawsuit that challenges ACA necessities to cowl preventive providers (together with contraceptives). The administration has issued executive orders in assist of contraception.
Trump
Earlier within the 2024 marketing campaign, Trump said he was open to restrictions on contraceptives however later promised by no means to ban contraception.
Trump administration insurance policies paved the way in which for employers with spiritual objections to exclude contraception from worker well being plans. Most Republican members of Congress, together with Vance, opposed the Proper to Contraception Act.
Fertility therapy/in vitro fertilization (IVF)
Harris
Harris helps assured rights to IVF and helps the ACA, which incorporates entry to protection earlier than, throughout and after childbirth. She advocated in opposition to a ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court that embryos are youngsters, and due to this fact can’t be destroyed.
She took a stand in opposition to Republicans blocking a invoice that will have protected IVF.
Trump
Trump helps entry to IVF and stated he would require insurance companies to cowl the prices however didn’t element how he would implement such a requirement.
The Republican platform opposes analysis utilizing embryonic stem cells (which could be derived from the IVF course of).
Maternal well being/maternity care
Paid household and medical depart
Harris
Prior to now, Harris supported 12 weeks of paid depart for many staff, together with new dad and mom, caregivers and victims of intimate associate violence. Throughout her presidential run, she has expressed assist for paid household and medical depart however has not shared particulars.