5 ways Trump’s presidential win could change U.S. health care

After securing a second United States statesmanlike term, Republican Donald Trump has outlined a scope of projected changes to the nation’s health-care system, including giving staunch anti-vaccine advocator Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the state to “go wild” connected health, medicine and nutrient policy.

Trump secured the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency successful the aboriginal hours of Wednesday, defeating Vice-President Kamala Harris successful a highly contentious campaign.

During the statesmanlike campaign, Trump and Harris highlighted the heavy disagreement betwixt Republican and Democratic views connected U.S. wellness policy.

Harris advocated for expanding entree to commencement control, capping medicine cause costs and protecting termination rights. She besides powerfully defended the Affordable Care Act (also known arsenic Obamacare), a instrumentality that Trump unsuccessfully attempted to dismantle successful 2017.

Meanwhile, Trump has been comparatively quiescent connected his health-care policies, choosing alternatively to absorption connected issues similar migration and inflation.

However, during the September statesmanlike debate, helium stated that helium has “concepts of a plan” for wellness care.

Now that Trump has secured his presidency, present is what helium has said astir wellness care.

On Oct. 28, during a run rally, Trump projected allowing Kennedy, a staunch vaccine skeptic, to instrumentality complaint of the nation’s nutrient and cause agencies.

“Robert F. Kennedy cares much astir quality beings and wellness and the situation much than anybody,” Trump said to the crowd. “I’m going to fto him spell chaotic connected health, I’m going to fto him spell chaotic connected the food, I americium going to fto him spell chaotic connected medicines.”

Kennedy has said that Trump promised him power implicit the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Agriculture, according to respective media outlets.

However, successful an interrogation with CNN past week, Trump modulation co-chair Howard Lutnick said Kennedy is not going to beryllium enactment successful complaint of the Department of Health and Human Services, but suggested helium could counsel connected vaccines.

Lutnick did accidental Kennedy wants entree to national wellness information truthful helium tin amusement vaccines are unsafe, starring them to beryllium pulled from the marketplace successful a 2nd Trump administration.

Over the years Kennedy has promoted unproven theories astir the dangers of puerility vaccinations and has agelong precocious the debunked thought that they origin autism.

The World Health Organization has estimated that planetary immunization efforts person saved at slightest 154 cardinal lives in the past 50 years.

A Trump medication volition besides propulsion for the removal of fluoride from U.S. drinking h2o connected his archetypal time successful office, according to Kennedy.

“On Jan. 20, the Trump White House volition counsel each U.S​. h2o systems to region fluoride from nationalist water. Fluoride is an concern discarded associated with arthritis, bony fractures, bony cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy stated in his post.

Trump told NBC News connected Sunday that helium had not spoken to Kennedy astir fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You cognize it’s possible.”

In his 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed to repeal Obamacare and pursuing his election, erstwhile the House voted to bash conscionable that, helium welcomed Republican representatives to the White House for a celebration. But the repeal effort died successful the Senate successful July 2017.

In June 2020, Trump’s medication asked the U.S. Supreme Court to artifact the law, but the tribunal dismissed the case.

Since past Trump has flip-flopped connected whether helium plans to effort to repeal it again.

In November 2023, Trump weighed successful connected the issue connected his societal media platform, Truth Social.

“The outgo of Obamacare is retired of control, plus, it’s not bully Healthcare. I’m earnestly looking astatine alternatives,” helium wrote. “We had a mates of Republican Senators who campaigned for 6 years against it, and past raised their hands not to terminate it. It was a debased constituent for the Republican Party, but we should ne'er springiness up!”

In March 2024 helium wrote connected Truth Social that helium is “not moving to terminate” the Affordable Care Act, but wants to marque it “better” and “less expensive.”

When asked astir wellness attraction successful the Sept. 10 televised statement with Harris, helium repeated his contention that “Obamacare was lousy wellness care.”

“It’s not precise bully today. And what I said that if we travel up with thing and we are moving connected things, we’re going to bash it and we’re going to regenerate it,” Trump said.

“I person concepts of a plan. I’m not president close now, but if we travel up with something, I would lone alteration it if we travel up with thing that’s amended and little expensive. And determination are concepts and options we person to bash that, and you’ll beryllium proceeding astir it successful the not-too-distant future.”

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Trump has taken recognition for appointing the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade.

Since winning the Republican superior earlier this year, however, helium said helium would not support a nationalist prohibition connected abortions and that idiosyncratic states should beryllium escaped to restrict termination arsenic they choose.

He called for exceptions connected immoderate prohibition to see incidents of rape and incest oregon to support the wellness of the mother. However, Trump said successful August he would ballot against an amendment successful Florida to support termination rights that would assistance a six-week termination ban, earlier galore women cognize they are pregnant.

Trump has wavered connected his stance regarding mifepristone, a medicine utilized successful aesculapian abortions, and has precocious made headlines arsenic termination opponents unsuccessfully challenged the FDA’s support of the drug.

In an interrogation published successful April 2024 by Time magazine, Trump declined to remark connected entree to the termination pill mifepristone.

“Well, I person an sentiment connected that, but I’m not going to explain. I’m not gonna accidental it yet. But I person beauteous beardown views connected that. And I’ll beryllium releasing it astir apt implicit the adjacent week,” helium stated successful the Time interview.

In the archetypal 2024 statesmanlike statement with President Joe Biden successful June, Trump stated that helium would not restrict entree to termination drugs if elected.

However, Project 2025, the blimpish governing blueprint authored by erstwhile Trump officials and different adjacent advisers, which helium has said helium is not progressive with, calls for the FDA to retreat its support of mifepristone.

In August, Trump said if helium wins a 2nd term, helium wants to marque IVF attraction escaped for families.

Those remarks person followed a surge successful outcry and warnings from doctors who accidental that the overturning of Roe v. Wade and authorities restrictions connected reproductive wellness care, arsenic good arsenic legislative efforts to specify a fetus arsenic a person, would enactment IVF successful information since it uses embryos and communal reproductive medications.

“I americium announcing contiguous that nether the Trump administration, your authorities volition wage for, oregon your security institution volition beryllium mandated to wage for each costs associated with IVF treatment,” helium said during a run rally.

However, the erstwhile president did not item however helium volition money it oregon however it volition work.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, successful December 2021, Trump told erstwhile Fox News big Bill O’Reilly that he’d received the booster shot.

In an interrogation with Candace Owens released 2 days later, Trump pushed backmost erstwhile Owens suggested the shots were not safe.

“Oh no, the vaccine works,” Trump interrupted Owens, who said she was not vaccinated. “The ones that get precise sick and spell to the infirmary are the ones that don’t instrumentality the vaccine.”

Although Trump has officially endorsed COVID-19 vaccines and credited his administration with their accelerated development, helium has besides been outspoken successful his disapproval of vaccines.

In March 2024, Trump promised to chopped backing to nationalist schools that necessitate puerility vaccines if he’s reelected successful 2024.

“I volition not springiness 1 penny to immoderate schoolhouse that has a vaccine mandate oregon a disguise mandate,” Trump declared.

All 50 states require definite vaccinations for schoolhouse attendance.

— with files from The Associated Press and Reuters