President Donald Trump delivered his third State of the Union address Tuesday Feb 4. President Trump touched on several health policy issues:
Protect Preexisting Conditions
The President promises to protect those with pre-existing conditions “I’ve made an ironclad pledge to American families. We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions.”
Drug Prices
President Trump pressured Congress to send him legislation to lower drug prices, “calling for bipartisan legislation that achieves the goal of dramatically lowering prescription drug prices. Get a bill on my desk, and I will sign it into law immediately.
Price Transparency
President Trump mentioned an executive order he signed requiring “price transparency,” more transparency in the healthcare industry would increase competition and bring costs down.
“The American patient should never be blindsided by medical bills. Many experts believe that transparency, which will go into full effect at the beginning of next year, will be even bigger than health care reform.”
Curbing the Opioid Epidemic
There’s been a recent drop in drug overdose deaths and a reversal in the opioid epidemic. “Among the states hardest hit, Ohio is down 22 percent, Pennsylvania is down 18 percent, Wisconsin is down 10 percent.”
Coronavirus Outbreak
Administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens- “Protecting Americans’ health also means fighting infectious diseases. We are coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together on the coronavirus outbreak in China.”
New initiatives
The administration has launched new initiatives- “To substantially improve care for Americans with kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, and those struggling with mental health. And, new cures for childhood cancer, and we will eradicate the AIDS epidemic in America by the end of this decade.”
