ON CAPITOL HILL
What to expect of Congress
Congress could have a big hand in shaping health policy after the election, as many of Trump and Harris' proposals would require the cooperation of lawmakers. And yet, lots of other policies that Congress is expected to deal with during the lame duck session and next year don't rise to the level of being part of either candidate's health care platforms.
Some also don't depend on either party being in control. For example, anti-China sentiment is pervasive in both parties and could propel Congress to pass legislation aimed at hurting China's biotech industry. Conversely, both parties support letting Medicare continue to cover telehealth services.
But the fight next year over expanded Affordable Care Act premium subsidies and Trump's 2017 tax cuts, both of which expire at the end of 2025, will depend on who controls Congress and the White House.
On the Ballot
What's happening in the states
Residents in more than a dozen states are voting on health care issues that include abortion, psychedelics, long-term care, and medically assisted suicide.
Abortion features prominently among ballot measures. Ten states have abortion initiatives on the ballot, the most since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
A handful of states with health care ballot initiatives also have key Senate races that could determine which party controls that chamber. Among the most interesting is Montana, where voters might approve a measure to protect abortion access while choosing anti-abortion Republican candidate Tim Sheehy over the Democratic incumbent Jon Tester.
California has an interesting combination of seemingly unrelated ballot measures. After controversial long-time AIDS activist Michael Weinstein got a rent-control measure on the ballot, apartment builders launched a ballot initiative that would undercut a drug discount program that is a key revenue generator for Weinstein's AIDS clinics.
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