Expanding Coverage

Democrats aim to build on the successes of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to expand healthcare coverage to more Americans. This includes:

• Expanding Medicaid: Democrats advocate for the expansion of Medicaid in all states to cover more low-income individuals and families. They support increasing federal funding to encourage states that have not yet expanded Medicaid to do so.
• Public Option: The party supports creating a public health insurance option available through the ACA marketplaces. This public option would provide an affordable alternative to private insurance and increase competition, driving down costs.
• Medicare Expansion: Some Democrats propose lowering the eligibility age for Medicare and expanding Medicare benefits to include dental, vision, and hearing services.

Reducing Costs

Reducing healthcare costs for individuals and families is a central goal for Democrats. They propose several measures to achieve this, including:

• Prescription Drug Prices: Democrats support allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of prescription medications. They also advocate for capping out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs and preventing drug companies from charging excessively high prices.
• Insurance Premiums and Deductibles: The party aims to increase subsidies under the ACA to make insurance premiums more affordable and to reduce deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses for consumers.
• Surprise Billing: Democrats support legislation to ban surprise medical billing, where patients receive unexpected charges from out-of-network providers.

Improving Quality of Care

The Democratic Party is committed to improving the quality of healthcare in the United States. This includes:

• Strengthening the ACA: Democrats seek to protect and strengthen the ACA by reversing efforts to undermine it, such as restoring funding for outreach and enrollment assistance and defending protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions.
• Investing in Healthcare Workforce: They support increasing investments in the healthcare workforce to ensure there are enough healthcare providers to meet the needs of patients. This includes training more doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, especially in underserved areas.
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse: Democrats emphasize the importance of integrating mental health and substance abuse treatment into the broader healthcare system. They support increased funding for mental health services and substance abuse treatment programs.

Addressing Health Disparities

The Democratic Party recognizes that health disparities exist along racial, economic, and geographic lines. They propose:

• Health Equity: Democrats advocate for policies that address social determinants of health, such as housing, education, and economic opportunities, to reduce health disparities. They support funding for community health centers and programs that serve marginalized communities.
• Maternal Health: The party is committed to addressing the maternal health crisis, particularly among Black women, by expanding access to maternal care and supporting initiatives that improve maternal health outcomes.

Women’s Health

Democrats are strong supporters of women’s health and reproductive rights. This includes:

• Protecting Reproductive Rights: They are committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and ensuring access to safe and legal abortion services. They oppose efforts to restrict reproductive rights and support repealing the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at risk.
• Access to Contraception: Democrats support ensuring access to affordable contraception and family planning services. They advocate for maintaining and expanding funding for organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide reproductive health services.

Long-Term Care and Support Services

The Democratic Party recognizes the importance of long-term care for the elderly and people with disabilities. They support:

• Home and Community-Based Services: Expanding access to home and community-based services to allow more people to receive care in their homes rather than institutional settings.
• Caregiver Support: Providing support for family caregivers through tax credits, paid leave, and increased funding for respite care services.