Trump record, Republican National Convention hint at GOP healthcare policy priorities

Editor's Note

As the Republican National Convention meets in Milwaukee to nominate Donald Trump, the party is not expected to unveil a detailed healthcare platform. However, a July 15 report in Modern Healthcare covers what plans and past records reveal about the potential direction of health policy under a GOP government.

According to the report, a recent House Appropriations Committee bill aims for significant cuts in government programs like HIV/AIDS, substance use disorder, and contraception, reflecting possible future actions. The Republican Study Committee and Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 also calls for Medicare and Medicaid funding reductions and changes to healthcare delivery.

Trump's first term saw efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), reduce Medicaid benefits, and permit short-term insurance plans not complying with ACA standards. These themes may re-emerge if Trump wins a second term, Modern Healthcare reports.

According to the article, future GOP plans also could involve shifting Medicare to a voucher system, cutting Medicaid funding, and repealing Medicare drug price negotiation authority. Despite Trump's lack of specific healthcare proposals on the campaign trail, his potential policies could reshape healthcare financing and delivery, impacting programs like ACA subsidies and Medicaid.

In Congress, the GOP-controlled House's recent HHS budget bill previews priorities like anti-abortion provisions, elimination of Title X family planning grants, and cuts to various health programs, hinting at broader policy directions if Republicans gain more power after the next election, Modern Healthcare reports. Specifics include trimming HHS spending by 7% to $108 billion, cutting funding for The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, and eliminating funding for The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The GOP budget would trim HHS spending by 7% to $108 billion. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health would see big cuts. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality would get no funding.