One topic on which presidential candidates will voice their stances and gain followers (or lose them) is health care. Personal and volatile issues such as vaccinations, women's health and the Affordable Care Act are being reviewed, and candidates are taking a stand on what they believe to be best for the country. Voters will rally behind candidates who share their own personal opinions on any given topic, and health issues are one of the top priorities for many individuals and families.
With many potential candidates still in the running, the amount of information regarding any topic is overwhelming. In this article, we'll offer some basics on many of the current candidates’ health care platforms in one space so you can access the facts without reading through dozens of articles.
Who are the Presidential candidates?
Presidential candidates for either the Democratic or Republican parties are listed below. This is not an exhaustive list of presidential hopefuls (which is quite extensive), rather, a look at the more popular candidates. The goal is to provide some idea of who is working toward a spot in their party’s running and to then give some basics about their stances on health issues.
Democratic Party
- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (New York)
- Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent-Vermont)
Republican Party
- Former Governor Jeb Bush (Florida)
- Senator Ted Cruz (Texas)
- Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (Arkansas)
- Donald Trump
In some cases, members of the same party have supported or denied certain health issues. For example, the Democratic Party in general is more likely to back mandatory vaccinations for children, while many Republicans support free choice. However, when it comes to women's reproductive choices, Democrats tend to support keeping abortion legal and safe, while also supporting family planning measures such as contraceptives and Plan B (also known as the morning-after pill). Republicans, well…not so much, generally. They run the gamut from pro-choice to wanting to outlaw abortion to the most extreme views of restricting contraceptives and abortion in any case. Regardless of your stand, knowing how politicians feel about women making their own reproductive health choices is something to consider at the ballot box. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, is an initiative many Democrats support and Republicans largely criticize. Here we will offer a snapshot of each candidate’s opinions on each of these issues and more.
Democratic Party
- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (New York): Hillary Clinton has made clear her stance on vaccinations – that the science speaks for itself and vaccines should be given to all children. In addition, her stance on the end-of-life debate has been that the government should not legitimize the right to choose to end life but should provide a framework within which people are able to make such decisions. Clinton repeatedly has said abortions should be "safe, legal and rare" and supports measures that promote adoption and foster care.
- U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent-Vermont): Bernie Sanders voted yes to the expansion of Medicare, a ruling that would enable the program to cover additional preventive services. He also voted yes to expanding the Children’s Health Insurance program and to regulating tobacco like a drug. He voted no on the Ryan Budget, which aims to reform Medicare choice, tax and enact spending cuts. Sanders received a 100 percent score from NARAL Pro-Choice America, which reflects his pro-choice stance in voting favorably for emergency contraception for rape victims and at military facilities. He supports embryonic stem cell research and would vote to legalize medical marijuana use.
- Former Governor Jeb Bush (Florida): Jeb Bush has been quoted as stating that ObamaCare is “flawed to its core and doesn’t work.” His past work in the state of Florida suggests that he is an advocate for a voucher system for Medicaid programs and that he devalues mental health services. He also boasts his own success for using a “clear and concise” approach to health crises such as the 2014 Ebola epidemic. He believes that President Obama failed to control fear in the nation by mishandling informational disclosures to the public. As governor, he funded adoption counseling but not abortion counseling and created the divisive "Choose Life" license plates for residents to purchase – funding went to pro-life counseling organizations. He doesn't seem to support reproductive education, either: "Forming good character in young people does not mean having to instruct them on thorny issues like abortion, creationism, homosexuality, or euthanasia, to name just a few," Bush wrote in his book, Profiles in Character.
- U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (Texas): Ted Cruz has vowed to repeal ObamaCare. He has also advocated raising the minimum age requirement for Medicare in order to save money spent on the program. He opposes funding for abortion care and contraceptives, whether from the government, churches or corporations. He believes vaccination is a states' rights issue and favors religious exemptions.
- Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee: Mike Huckabee has been heard stating that healthcare reform is a cultural change that will need to evolve over the period of a generation. He also has said that smoking should not be banned overall but that it should only be banned in indoor workplaces to maintain constitutional rights. He is a staunch pro-life candidate who worked to pass Arkansas' Unborn Child Amendment. Regarding the HIV/AIDS epidemic, he's a bit less sympathetic: "It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS -- it is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."Donald Trump: Donald Trump supports the repeal of ObamaCare, although he does advocate for universal healthcare of some type to protect the health of the American people. He has also suggested that increasing competition among health insurers may help to control health insurance premiums moving forward. After years of having a pro-choice stance, he surprisingly announced in February 2014 that he is pro-life and will support only those measures. He favors legalizing drugs and spending tax revenue on education and counseling. Put Trump in the Jenny McCarthy camp when it comes to vaccinations. In 2014, he tweeted, "Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and changes - AUTISM. Many such cases!"
Choose your candidate wisely – not only are you making decisions about your own health, but you also must consider the impact each candidate will have on the health of all Americans.