In the run up to November’s midterm elections, the Democrats are seeking to turn issues around health care to their advantage. In recent elections, Democrats have often been targeted for health care costs, notably for rising premiums under the Affordable Care Act. However, in a recent poll, 61 percent of voters suggested that they held President Trump and the Republicans as responsible for health care costs, while 56 percent believed that the Democrats would achieve more on health care. This has triggered the political shift by the Democrats, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) has made clear his intention to campaign on the issue. Republicans, on the other hand, will continue to pinpoint the ACA as the main driver of rising health care costs. These moves have been represented within campaign ads that has pinned premium increases to the President’s policies and has also seen a letter written to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, urging him to stabilize health care markets hurt by the policies. The Republicans had long campaigned on the repeal of the ACA but having failed in to achieve it in next year, have turned to a gradual reduction of it instead. This scattergun approach has, according to the Democrats, resulted in the higher premiums, which the Congressional Budget Office expects to rise by 15 percent the last year, and subsequently less-healthy Americans. They have also pointed to criticisms made by insurers as further proof of Republican culpability. Some Republicans retain hope that rising premiums will reignite the push to fully repeal the ACA but such sensitive votes only become harder as elections approach. As a result, both sides are now incorporating rate increases into their messages and ensuring that health care remains a central issue.
In the run up to November’s midterm elections, the Democrats are seeking to turn issues around health care to their advantage. In recent elections, Democrats have often been targeted for health care costs, notably for rising premiums under the Affordable Care Act. However, in a recent poll, 61 percent of voters suggested that they held President Trump and the Republicans as responsible for health care costs, while 56 percent believed that the Democrats would achieve more on health care. This has triggered the political shift by the Democrats, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) has made clear his intention to campaign on the issue. Republicans, on the other hand, will continue to pinpoint the ACA as the main driver of rising health care costs. These moves have been represented within campaign ads that has pinned premium increases to the President’s policies and has also seen a letter written to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, urging him to stabilize health care markets hurt by the policies. The Republicans had long campaigned on the repeal of the ACA but having failed in to achieve it in the last year, have turned to a gradual reduction of it instead. This scattergun approach has, according to the Democrats, resulted in the higher premiums, which the Congressional Budget Office expects to rise by 15 percent next year, and subsequently less-healthy Americans. They have also pointed to criticisms made by insurers as further proof of Republican culpability. Some Republicans retain hope that rising premiums will reignite the push to fully repeal the ACA but such sensitive votes only become harder as elections approach. As a result, both sides are now incorporating rate increases into their messages and ensuring that health care remains a central issue.