The
2024
presidential
election
is
less
than
three
weeks
away.
Whether
Kamala
Harris
or
Donald
Trump
win
the
race,
the
U.S.
healthcare
system
is
certain
to
undergo
some
changes
as
a
result
of
the
election.
This
week,
international
consultancy
BRG
hosted
a
webinar
in
which
its
experts
discussed
some
of
the
candidates’
key
stances
on
healthcare.
Corporate
governance
and
payer
ramifications
A
Harris
presidency
would
be
more
active
on
the
antitrust
front
than
a
Trump
presidency,
said
Thomas
O’Neil,
managing
director
at
BRG.
During
the
Biden-Harris
administration,
the
Department
of
Justice
has
initiated
an
“unprecedented
number”
of
antitrust
and
anticompetitive
behavior
investigations,
he
noted.
Although
the
prior
Trump-Pence
administration
initiated
significantly
fewer
antitrust
investigations,
it
did
challenge
key
deals,
such
as
the
CVS
Caremark-Aetna
deal,
O’Neil
pointed
out.
He
also
noted
that
both
presidential
candidates
have
demonstrated
a
commitment
to
improving
Medicare
Advantage.
The
current
Biden-Harris
administration
is
increasing
transparency
in
the
Medicare
Advantage
insurance
market,
as
well
as
working
toward
strengthening
programmatic
data,
O’Neil
remarked.
As
for
Trump,
he
signed
executive
orders
that
improved
Medicare
Advantage
beneficiaries’
access
to
tax
advantaged
savings
accounts
and
paid
for
limited
long-term
care
expenses,
he
said.
Additionally,
O’Neil
pointed
out
that
a
Harris
presidency
would
probably
be
tougher
on
healthcare
fraud
than
a
Trump
presidency.
The
Biden-Harris
administration
has
increased
the
enforcement
of
regulations
related
to
healthcare
fraud,
waste
and
abuse
—
particularly
in
response
to
the
Covid-19
pandemic,
he
said.
A
Trump
presidency
would
most
likely
mean
“more
regulatory
flexibility”
and
“looser
standards”
for
the
enforcement
of
fraud
protection
laws,
O’Neil
remarked.
He
noted
that
the
Trump
administration
increased
regulatory
flexibility
for
the
Anti-Kickback
Statute
and
Physician
Self-Referral
(Stark)
Law.
Value-based
care
and
CMS
The
candidates
have
different
stances
on
Affordable
Care
Act
exchange
subsidies.
The
Biden-Harris
administration
expanded
subsidies
through
the
end
of
2025,
and
Harris
would
likely
support
extending
them
if
she
is
elected
president,
said
Patrick
Dooley,
managing
director
at
BRG.
The
Trump
administration
unsuccessfully
attempted
to
repeal
the
ACA,
he
added.
As
for
Medicaid,
Harris
would
probably
work
to
expand
access,
while
Trump
would
work
to
reduce
access,
Dooley
said.
He
noted
that
Harris
is
likely
to
expand
Medicaid
in
states
that
have
not
already
done
so,
as
well
as
extend
more
Medicaid
benefits
to
cover
health-related
social
needs.
As
for
Trump,
Dooley
said
that
he
is
likely
to
continue
efforts
from
his
first
term
to
increase
work
requirements
for
Medicaid
enrollees.
He
also
said
that
Trump
may
make
cuts
to
the
Medicaid
program
or
explore
block
grants
for
states.
AI
regulation
Despite
their
stark
differences
in
rhetoric,
Harris
and
Trump
campaigns
have
pretty
similar
views
when
it
comes
to
AI,
pointed
out
Amy
Reeder
Worley,
managing
director
at
BRG.
“Both
Vice
President
Harris
and
President
Trump
have
been
focused
on
what
I’ll
call
the
supply
side
of
AI
in
healthcare
—
really
focusing
on
initiatives
to
drive
innovation
for
better
care,
for
patients,
for
providers
and
for
payers.
I
would
say
both
Vice
President
Harris
and
President
Trump
are
optimistic
about
AI’s
promises
to
help
more
than
it
hurts,”
she
declared.
Both
candidates
would
support
further
AI
innovation
if
elected,
Reeder
Worley
added.
She
noted
that
Harris
is
a
Californian
with
knowledge
of
the
tech
sector,
and
J.D.
Vance
has
connections
to
Silicon
Valley
leaders
who
have
historically
opposed
regulation.
Drug
pricing
reform
Whoever
wins
the
presidential
election
will
be
tasked
with
implementing
the
Inflation
Reduction
Act,
which
allows
for
the
negotiations
of
Medicare
drug
prices,
said
John
Barkett,
managing
director
at
BRG.
“If
the
person
receiving
that
baton
is
Vice
President
Harris,
I
expect
her
to
build
off
President
Biden’s
and
her
administration’s
drug
pricing
reform
efforts.
She’s
talked
about
how
she
would
want
to
see
Medicare
drug
negotiations
expanded
—
meaning
more
drugs
for
negotiations.
It
could
also
mean
selecting
drugs
that
have
been
on
the
market
for
less
time.
It
could
also
mean
lowering
the
ceiling
price
for
offers
that
the
Secretary
could
make
to
drug
manufacturers
when
they
negotiate,”
he
explained.
He
also
noted
that
Harris
would
likely
expand
the
$35
insulin
price
cap
to
all.
This
means
she
would
support
legislation
applying
the
$35-or-less
co-pay
policy
to
non-Medicare
populations.
Barkett
added
that
Harris
would
support
efforts
to
reform
pharmacy
benefit
managers
—
including
more
oversight
from
federal
competition
authorities.
As
for
Trump,
he
might
try
to
establish
international
reference
pricing
policies,
Barkett
said.
These
are
policies
in
which
Medicare
wouldn’t
pay
any
more
for
a
drug
than
the
prices
charged
for
that
same
drug
in
other
countries.
Trump
may
also
try
to
bring
back
policies
that
his
previous
presidential
administration
failed
to
establish.
Some
of
these
include
policies
eliminating
rebates
and
relaxing
formulary
standards
in
Medicare
Part
D,
as
well
as
laws
that
would
increase
state
adoption
of
drug
importation
policy,
Barkett
remarked.
Photo:
Niyazz,
Getty
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