Democrats · Donald Trump · US Senate · Axios
Democrats will face a health care stress test
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Democrats will be able to take plenty of messaging votes on health care after their blowout wins Tuesday, but they'll face too many limits and internal disagreements to force all of the big policy changes they want.
Key facts
- House Democrats have already signaled their opening moves with a 100-hour/100-day agenda agenda that prominently features health policies like reinstating the enhanced ACA tax credits that expired
- They'll have a tough time repealing Medicaid cuts or restoring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies while President Trump is still in office, and their own divisions will hold them back on other
- Within the first year, the blueprint also envisions votes on Medicare for All, a government-run public insurance option and plans to let many Americans under 65 buy into Medicare
- Friction point: With control of both the Senate and House, Democrats will have powerful new leverage, but that leverage will also expose fault lines
Summary
They'll have a tough time repealing Medicaid cuts or restoring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies while President Trump is still in office, and their own divisions will hold them back on other issues. And Medicare for All? Friction point: With control of both the Senate and House, Democrats will have powerful new leverage, but that leverage will also expose fault lines. Until now, progressives backing Medicare for All and centrists favoring more incremental changes were united in opposing Trump administration policies and blaming the president and the Republican Congress for the health affordability crisis.