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The upcoming election on November 3 may well be the most consequential election in our lifetime. The issues we face as a nation are both immediate and foundational: the worst health emergency in a century; a slowly-recovering economy challenging both monetary policy and fiscal response; a racial reckoning unlike anything since the 1960s, or perhaps even since the failed Reconstruction of the 1870s.
At The Actors Fund, though—in particular at the Artists Health Insurance Resource Center—one issue rises above all others: healthcare, the way we access it and the ways we pay for it. Every day, we deal with the challenges workers in the entertainment industry have in getting and keeping quality, affordable health insurance for themselves and their families.
As our industry grapples with a shutdown that’s forcing many of our colleagues off of their union and workplace insurance, we thought a comparison of each presidential campaign’s positions and approach to healthcare would be helpful.1
| ISSUE |
TRUMP |
BIDEN |
| AFFORDABLE CARE ACT ("ACA") |
- Supports repeal of the ACA (Supreme Court to hear case to repeal in November).
- Supported repeal of the individual mandate.
- Cut funding for consumer enrollment assistance.
- Promotes the use of ‘short-term’ health plans that have lower premiums, but can exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions.
|
- Supports expanding ACA eligibility to those making above 400% of the Federal Poverty Level; those in employer coverage; and those who would be eligible for Medicaid in states that did not expand Medicaid.
- Supports a public option.
- Will restore funding for consumer enrollment assistance.
- Will make premium tax credits more generous.
|
| PUBLIC OPTION |
- Does not support a public option.
- Does not support Medicare-for-all.
|
- Supports a new Federal public option like Medicare which will be available to people eligible for Marketplace or employer coverage. Public option would negotiate prices with hospitals and other providers.
- Does not support Medicare-for-all.
|
| MEDICAID |
- Supports repeal of the ACA, which includes the Medicaid expansion.
- Supported policies and approved waivers to require work as a condition of Medicaid eligibility.
|
- Will retain Medicaid expansion.
- Will enroll all adults who qualify for Medicaid into the public option (regardless of whether their state expanded Medicaid or not).
- Will provide Federal support for state Medicaid programs during economic crises.
|
| MEDICARE |
- Supported repeal of the ACA, including the provision to close the Rx drug ‘donut hole.’
- Broadened coverage of telehealth during COVID-19 pandemic.
|
- Lower the age of Medicare to 60 (with option for those 60-64 to keep current coverage).
- Will give the Secretary authority to negotiate drug prices, lowering prices for those with Medicare.
- Proposes adding dental, vision and hearing benefits to Medicare.
|
| Rx DRUG PRICES |
- Proposed capping out-of-pocket drug costs in Medicare Part D.
- Capped monthly insulin costs for some Medicare Part D enrollees.
- No proposal to lift ban on Federal government negotiating drug prices under Medicare.
- Allow importation of Rx drugs.
|
- Will authorize the Federal government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare and other purchasers.
- Will prohibit prices for all brand and some generic drugs from rising faster than inflation (in Medicare/Public option).
- Cap out-of-pocket drug costs in Medicare Part D.
- Allow importation of Rx drugs.
|
| REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH |
- Supports overturning Roe v. Wade.
- Supports the Hyde Amendment, prohibiting abortion except in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment.
- Exempted more employers from obligation to provide no-cost contraceptives.
- Prohibited Federal funding for clinics that provide or refer for abortions.
- Eliminated anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ patients and those who have terminated a pregnancy.
|
- Supports Roe v. Wade and pledged to nominate judges who will uphold abortion rights.
- Opposed the Hyde Amendment.
- Ensures that those with employer coverage have access to no-cost contraceptives.
- Will restore Title X funding to clinics that provide or refer for abortion.
- Reverse Trump administration policies that permit discrimination against LGBTQ patients.
|
| HIV POLICY |
- Launched “Ending the HIV Epidemic” to reduce HIV incidence in U.S. by 75% by 2025 and 90% by 2030.
- Supports repeal of the ACA, which will reduce coverage and access for people with HIV.
- Eliminated anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ patients and those who have terminated a pregnancy.
|
- Re-commit to ending the HIV epidemic by 2025.
- Supports ACA expansion and public option which will include coverage for HIV treatment.
- Reverse Trump administration policies that permit discrimination against LGBTQ patients.
|
| IMMIGRATION AND HEALTH COVERAGE |
- Issued a proclamation stating that immigrants could be denied entry unless they have health insurance or can show ability to pay for future health costs.
- Changed ‘public charge’ law which restricts entry to those who receive government assistance, including Medicaid.
- Winding down Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program; building a wall along US/Mexico border.
|
- Reinstate DACA.
- Reverse Trump administration changes to ‘public charge’ policy
- Expand ACA to include DACA recipients.
- Repeal the 5-year waiting period in Medicaid and CHIP for lawfully present immigrants.
|
Learn more on how to vote in your state.
This resource will be updated on a regular basis with the latest developments. Click on your state to find out how, when and where you can vote.
The most important thing, of course, is that you exercise your right to vote. Your voie—and the voices of the entertainment industry—need to be heard this November!
Yours in good health,
Jim Bracchitta
Do you work in performing arts and entertainment and have questions about health insurance? The Actors Fund provides assistance nationally. Please contact the regional office closest to you to connect with a counselor.
New York City
Visit actorsfund.org/ahirc
Los Angeles
Visit ehisca.com
https://www.kff.org/slideshow/health-care-and-the-2020-presidential-elec...
