NEW HEALTH IDEAS ABSENT IN 2024 RACE — President Joe Biden will use his wins on health care — including Medicare drug pricing negotiations and record-high Affordable Care Act enrollment — to propel his reelection campaign. Republican presidential candidates, on the other hand, haven’t yet outlined much of their plans for health care reform, though former President Donald Trump has said he would gut Obamacare, without offering an alternative. The lack of novel ideas has some health policy analysts thinking health care reform might play as big a role in this election cycle as it has in years past. An old debate: Biden will pledge to fight to restore abortion access following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to eliminate the constitutional right to the procedure. During Wednesday night’s Republican Presidential Debate, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis butted heads over the thorny question of abortion. But for the most part, Republican candidates have mainly side-stepped discussing a federal ban, which Haley called unrealistic, and instead have touted states’ rights to set rules on abortion access. Lowering costs is important to voters: Eight in 10 voters polled by health policy research group KFF last month said it’s “important” that candidates discuss the affordability of health care on the campaign trail. And 75 percent said they wanted to hear about the future of Medicare and Medicaid. Beyond preserving the ACA, promoting abortion access and advancing the drug price negotiations in the Inflation Reduction Act, “it’s not at all clear what’s next on the [Biden] agenda,” Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF and former Clinton administration official, told Pulse. Biden’s 2020 campaign has unfinished parts he could revive, Levitt added, including lowering Medicare’s eligibility age and introducing a public insurance option. Beyond Trump, GOP candidates haven’t said much about their plans for the ACA, even though they’ve criticized it in the past. In December, DeSantis told NBC he has a forthcoming health plan that will “supersede” Obamacare but has offered no details. Haley, who some polls say is second to Trump among New Hampshire voters, has offered more concrete, albeit familiar, conservative policy: expanding Medicare Advantage plans, converting Medicaid into block grants and exploring cuts to entitlement programs like Medicare to protect its longevity. She has also brought up medical malpractice reform to better protect doctors from liability, which she says drives up health costs. DeSantis also reiterated his position that people with mental illness should be institutionalized at the Wednesday debate. WELCOME TO THURSDAY PULSE. Some radiologists offer patients the option of an AI analysis of their mammograms, but it’s not covered by insurance. Where else have you seen AI in your health care? Let us know at ccirruzzo@politico.com and bleonard@politico.com and follow along @ChelseaCirruzzo and @_BenLeonard_.
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