Healthcare

From a Pandemic to Planned Parenthood: Healthcare’s Role in the 2020 Election

By Gloria Manege Edited by Brenagh Rapoport

The 2020 American election is taking place in the midst of a global health crisis. The United States has become one of the nations most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a staggering eight million cases and 200,000 deaths to date.22 Although conversations surrounding healthcare have always been fueled by tension, this year has made this topic of healthcare reform particularly controversial. With the virus hitting certain communities harder than others, it is a salient time for an investigation into the plans for healthcare reform by the Democratic and Republican Parties.

The Democratic Party has used the Trump administration’s management of the spread of COVID-19 to demonstrate the ways in which America’s healthcare system is in desperate need of reform.23 The main focus on healthcare for the Democrats is to expand the Affordable Care Act so that more Americans can access free public healthcare, particularly in primarily Republican states where healthcare access tends to be more limited. They plan on executing this by automatically enrolling low-income citizens in the program that offers the public health option, as well as lowering the age eligibility to enrol in Medicare from 65 to 60 years of age.24 The Democrats also plan on financing community and rural clinics in more remote areas. This will be done in hopes of providing medical treatment to those living in areas where access to clinics is extremely sparse and largely unaffordable.

The Democrats have emphasized the need to make healthcare more inclusive when it comes to accessibility. This inclusion aims to target people of colour, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and Indigenous peoples.25 One way that they hope to fulfil this goal is by repealing funding cuts by the Trump administration that have been imposed on Planned Parenthood, a healthcare provider for many marginalized communities. Increased funding for Planned Parenthood would enable women to have better access to facilities that offer more options for reproductive healthcare.26

In contrast, the Republican Party’s healthcare agenda is rooted in repealing what the Democrats have been trying to firmly hold on to: namely, the Affordable Care Act.27 The Republicans have claimed that this Act has ruined the traditional American healthcare dynamic emphasizing the importance of the patient-physician relationship. In an attempt to restore this relationship, the Republicans plan on decreasing reliance on public health options offered by federal government programs such as Medicaid. Instead, states will take it upon themselves to provide their residents with healthcare providers that they believe

22 “Covid in the US: Latest Map and Case Count,” The New York Times, October 19, 2020.

23 “Achieving Universal, Affordable, Quality Health Care,” Democratic National Committee, 2020. 24 DNC, “Achieving Universal, Quality Health Care.” 25 DNC, “Achieving Universal, Quality Health Care.” 26 DNC, “Achieving Universal, Quality Health Care.” 27 “Republican Platform 2016,” Republican National Committee, August 24, 2020.

will be most cost efficient and the choice will be left to the consumer.28 Ultimately, the Republicans will focus on creating consumer markets that are filled with medical alternatives from which all Americans can freely choose.

Another main goal of the Republic Party is implementing policies that limit abortion access. The Republicans are stern on the belief that abortion should not be considered a healthcare need. This will be executed by cutting all federal funding for clinics that offer these services, such as Planned Parenthood, and healthcare plans that cover any abortion costs. In circumstances where women choose to travel to states in which these services are still legal, there will need to be parental consent.29

Although the two opposing parties do not agree on the route that should be taken to reach their healthcare goals, it is clear that they are both concerned with providing Americans with medical options that they view to be most beneficial. The issues of medical access, surprise billing, and advanced medical research are all pressing subjects that both the Democrats and Republicans have included in their electoral agendas.30,31 It can be argued that one party may be looking out for the interests of particular groups over others, and this interpretation is what will determine the votes of Americans. The outcome of the election will also determine how the American government will continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

28 RNC, “Republican Platform.” 29 RNC, “Republican Platform.” 30 DNC, “Achieving Universal, Quality Health Care.” 31 RNC, “Republican Platform.”