Politics significantly determines the quality of health institutions, and many political events may have implications for the health services to the public. One of the most important factors of influence is the person at the head of the White House. Before the US presidential election, only a month and to date, Democratic candidate Joe Biden is leading the race. In an attempt to compete with the opponent, current President Donald Trump has become another victim of the raging Coronavirus pandemic. All these events are closely intertwined and have a direct impact on health care. Both the results of the elections themselves and the way they are held will determine the future of the sphere for the next few years.
The President of the United States of America is always one of the most influential politicians globally, so the elections attract great attention. In the 2020 race, the current president, Republican Donald Trump, and Obama-era vice president, Democrat Joe Biden, came together. On Tuesday, September 29, a debate took place between the candidates, and, a couple of days later, the news appeared that President Trump and the first lady fell ill with Coronavirus (Baker & Haberman, 2020). Earlier, the president was distinguished by a rather frivolous attitude to the situation – he missed the moment to begin active actions, and the virus took many Americans’ lives. Moreover, the president at the last debate with Mr. Biden stated that the pandemic would soon end. Such a turn of events should probably persuade those who do not believe in the virus’s spread, that the situation is serious.
The first aspect of how elections can affect health care is the way they are conducted. Trump, without fear, invited citizens to come to vote at polling stations. However, large crowds of people can speed up the disease’s spread and put even more tremendous strain on medical institutions, thus the number of deaths will increase. Voting at the polling station is especially dangerous for people at high risk, particularly the elderly (Mezuk, 2020). For this reason, people should pay attention to alternative voting methods.
Secondly, each candidate offers a particular approach to health care. Depending on a certain candidate’s victory, there will be various economic, ethical, and practical consequences. Electing Democrat Joe Biden as the new president would mean expanding one of the Medicare programs or strengthening the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (Galea et al., 2020). For Medicare, there are several options for development. Medicare for All involves nationalizing health care and federal funding for it by increasing taxes for specific population segments. Such a program will surpass radical changes for American citizens in the provision of medical services. From an ethical point of view, Medicare for All will ensure equal access to health care, improving the nation’s health. However, its implementation requires detailed prediction because it may result in the congestion of hospitals, lack of doctors and drugs, and other economic and practical consequences.
Medicare for All Who Want It maintains an essential role for private insurers, expanding insurance programs’ choice, and, partially, providing federal funding. This program, as well as the ACA, is designed to reduce the number of uninsured people. ACA proposes an increase in subsidies, the creation of new insurance plans, and the opening of public exchanges for their acquisition. Both methods aim to increase access to health services for different population segments while maintaining a more familiar economic and practical way of work.
Donald Trump’s victory involves extending the current state of health care, which consists of the abolition of ACA and short-term insurance expansion. In the potential impact of the election outcome analysis, the results of which are presented by CNBC, several health sectors in which the status quo may change are also highlighted (Lahiff, 2020). Data show that if Trump wins, insurance companies and drug manufacturers will be in a better position due to the weakening of the ACA. Biden’s victory will benefit the development of biotechnology and manufacturers of medical equipment. He aims to develop new methods of treatment, and testing, including combating Covid-19. From an economic point of view, both candidates benefit in certain areas. Practically, Biden offers more changes and strives for development. From an ethical perspective, Biden also has a winning position as he wants to expand access to health care. Moreover, he showed a more responsible attitude to the pandemic.
Thus, the election of the president of the United States is vital for the health care system. As a medical worker and as a citizen of my country, I represent the person interested in the election. In this regard, my first task is to evaluate the candidate’s prospects and make a deliberate choice. Secondly, I should declare my choice by voting and call the other interested people to vote. Thirdly, as a medical officer, I care about public health and can spread information about the danger of crowding during a pandemic. In such a situation, I consider it essential that people are aware of alternative voting methods.
References
Baker, P., & Haberman, M. (2020). Trump tests positive for the Coronavirus. The New York Times. Web.
Galea, S., Ettman, C. K., & Abdalla, S. M. (2020). Access to health care and the 2020 US election. The Lancet, 396(10254), 803-805. Web.
Lahiff, K. (2020). Trump vs Biden: Here are the healthcare stocks that could benefit from the 2020 election. CNBC. Web.
Mezuk, B. (2020). What will the US election mean for the physical and mental health of older adults? Medical News Today. Web.