The 2024 presidential election is lower than three weeks away. Whether or not Kamala Harris or Donald Trump win the race, the American healthcare system will definitely see some modifications because of the election.

This week, worldwide consulting agency BRG hosted a webinar by which its specialists mentioned a number of the candidates' key positions on healthcare.

Company governance and implications for payers

A Harris presidency can be extra energetic on the antitrust entrance than a Trump presidency, mentioned Thomas O'Neil, managing director at BRG.

Throughout the Biden-Harris administration, the Justice Division initiated an “unprecedented quantity” of investigations into antitrust and anticompetitive conduct, he famous.

Though the earlier Trump-Pence administration initiated considerably fewer antitrust investigations, it challenged key offers such because the CVS Caremark-Aetna deal, O'Neil identified.

He additionally famous that each presidential candidates have demonstrated a dedication to bettering Medicare Benefit.

The present Biden-Harris administration is rising transparency within the Medicare Benefit insurance coverage market and dealing to strengthen programmatic knowledge, O'Neil famous. As for Trump, he signed government orders that improved Medicare Benefit beneficiaries' entry to tax-advantaged financial savings accounts and paid for restricted long-term care bills, he mentioned.

Moreover, O'Neil identified {that a} Harris presidency would possible be harder on well being care fraud than a Trump presidency.

The Biden-Harris administration has stepped up enforcement of laws associated to well being care fraud, waste and abuse — particularly in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, he mentioned.

A Trump presidency would most probably imply “better regulatory flexibility” and “looser requirements” for imposing fraud safety legal guidelines, O'Neil famous. He famous that the Trump Administration has elevated regulatory flexibility for the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Legislation for doctor self-referral.

Worth-based care and CMS

The candidates have totally different positions on Inexpensive Care Act change subsidies.

The Biden-Harris administration prolonged the subsidies via the top of 2025, and Harris would possible help extending them if she is elected president, mentioned Patrick Dooley, managing director at BRG. The Trump administration has tried unsuccessfully to repeal the ACA, he added.

On Medicaid, Harris would possible work to develop entry, whereas Trump would work to cut back entry, Dooley mentioned.

He famous that Harris will possible develop Medicaid in states that haven’t but performed so, and that he will even develop extra Medicaid advantages to cowl health-related social wants.

As for Trump, Dooley mentioned he’ll possible proceed efforts to extend work necessities for Medicaid enrollees beginning in his first time period. He additionally mentioned Trump might make cuts to the Medicaid program or discover block grants for states.

AI regulation

Regardless of their stark variations in rhetoric, the Harris and Trump campaigns have nearly an identical views in terms of AI, mentioned Amy Reeder Worley, managing director at BRG.

“Each Vice President Harris and President Trump are centered on what I'll name the availability facet of AI in healthcare – actually specializing in initiatives to drive innovation for higher care, for sufferers, for suppliers and for payers. I might say that each Vice President Harris and President Trump are optimistic about AI's guarantees to assist greater than it hurts,” she acknowledged.

Each candidates would help additional AI innovation if elected, Reeder Worley added. She famous that Harris is a Californian with information of the know-how sector, and that JD Vance has connections to Silicon Valley leaders who’ve traditionally opposed regulation.

Drug worth reform

Whoever wins the presidential election can be charged with implementing the Inflation Discount Act, which permits negotiations over Medicare drug costs, mentioned John Barkett, managing director at BRG.

“If the one that will get that baton is Vice President Harris, I count on her to construct on the efforts of President Biden and her administration to reform drug costs. She has talked about how she wish to see the Medicare drug negotiations expanded — which means extra medicine are wanted for the negotiations. It could additionally imply that medicine are chosen which have been available on the market for a shorter time period. It might additionally imply decreasing the ceiling worth for provides that the minister could make to drug producers in the course of the negotiations,” he defined.

He additionally famous that Harris would possible develop the $35 insulin worth restrict for everybody. This implies she would help laws that might apply the $35 or much less co-pay coverage to non-Medicare populations.

Barkett added that Harris would help efforts to reform pharmacy profit managers — together with elevated oversight from federal competitors authorities.

As for Trump, he might attempt to set up a global reference worth coverage, Barkett mentioned. These are insurance policies below which Medicare would pay no extra for a drug than the costs charged for that very same drug in different nations.

Trump might additionally attempt to deliver again insurance policies that his earlier presidential administration did not implement. A few of these embody insurance policies that get rid of rebates and chill out requirements in Medicare Half D, in addition to legal guidelines that might improve state acceptance of drug import insurance policies, Barkett famous.

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