Health care in the US: Where Harris and Trump stand on the issues
The most contentious health care topic is abortion and abortion access.
More Stories
Sacred Heart University Professor Gary Rose says while health care is among the candidate's top priorities, the difference between the two is in the details.
During the only presidential debate in September, Vice President Kamala Harris stated she is in favor of expanding subsidies to make health insurance more accessible.
"What the Affordable Care Act has done is eliminate the ability of insurance companies to deny people with pre-existing conditions health care," she said.
Former President Donald Trump has said he believes the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in 2010, is too expensive.
"If we could come up with a plan that's going to cost our people, our population less money and be better health care than Obamacare then I would absolutely do it. But until then, I'd run it as good as it can be run," he said during the debate.
Rose says the disagreement over the ACA is an example of what he describes as the usual divide between Democrats who support expanding federal coverage and Republicans who favor the marketplace and private insurance.
"Another difference we're finding has to do with Social Security interestingly enough. The former president wants to eliminate taxes on Social Security," says Rose.
Political experts say while that could mean more income for seniors, it could also impact Medicate expenditures.
Harris has said she would like to see Medicare expanded significantly to include home health care. Rose says that would be very expensive.
The most contentious health care topic is abortion and abortion access. Trump, who appointed several Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, has said decisions regarding abortion should be determined by the states, not the federal government.
Harris has repeatedly criticized the ruling and its outcomes.
"Now in over 20 states there are Trump abortion bans which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide health care that make no exception even for rape and incest," she said during the debate.
Despite their disagreements, Rose says both Trump and Harris have promised to lower the cost of prescription drugs and help the nation's veterans.
