On Aug. 16, Vice President Kamala Harris presented an economic platform for her first 100 days in office should she be elected president.
The platform included four healthcare-specific policies. Here is what ASC leaders need to know:
Harris has indicated that she will keep Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. These income-based tax credits — available to those with household incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty line — are designed to cap premium costs as a percentage of income and expand access to private insurance. The program was expanded by the Biden-Harris administration with the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021. These subsidies will expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress takes action.
Medical debt forgiveness. Ms. Harris' plan would work with states to forgive individual medical debt and enact policies to prevent future debt. The campaign highlighted its efforts to eliminate medical debt from most credit reports and to cancel $7 billion in medical debt using funds from the American Rescue Plan.
The policies also detailed a proposal to accelerate negotiations between CMS and drug companies in an effort to cut drug prices by up to 79% in 2026. Ms. Harris is also advocating for stricter oversight and regulation regarding pharmacy benefit managers, anti-competitive behavior by pharmaceutical companies and "abusive practices by pharmaceutical middlemen."
Through her support of programs like the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, Ms. Harris helped put nearly $70 billion in the hands of small businesses owned by socially and ecnonomically disadvantaged people, reported Forbes July 30. This could mean continued support for growing businesses like ASCs if she is elected in November.