Joe Biden’s Big Lead on Health Care Issues October 21, 2020 Perspective In an Axios column, Drew Altman discusses how this election year health isn’t a single issue — but several — and Joe Biden has the edge over President Trump on all of them, even as opposition to the ACA remains popular with Trump’s base.
Black Americans Are More Skeptical of a Coronavirus Vaccine October 14, 2020 Perspective Drew Altman discusses how systemic racism has led to striking levels of reluctance to get a COVID-19 vaccine among Black Americans, including those at highest risk, and the challenge it presents for ending the pandemic.
Drugs Aren’t the Reason the U.S. Spends So Much on Health Care September 30, 2020 Perspective Drew Altman’s column in Axios: the U.S. now spends twice per capita what other wealthy countries do on health care. But while drug costs get all the time in public debate, it’s hospital and outpatient spending that mostly explains the difference. And that will be impossible to take on without real pain and political risk, he says.
What Will Candidates Say About Medicare This Election? September 22, 2020 Perspective In this article for the American Society of Aging’s Generations Today, KFF Senior Vice President Tricia Neuman examines what President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are saying about key issues for Medicare beneficiaries, including drug prices and affordability, as well as what they aren’t saying about Medicare’s financing.
Biden vs Trump on Health With Swing Voters September 17, 2020 Perspective Drawing on newly released KFF/Cook Political Report polling in key Sun Belt states, Drew Altman discusses how the 2020 election is more about President Trump but issues do matter. He says that swing voters in Florida, Arizona and North Carolina prefer Joe Biden over President Trump on more issues including health care and the coronavirus, but President Trump has the edge on their top issue, the economy.
JAMA Forum: Trump vs Biden on Health Care September 3, 2020 Perspective In this September 2020 post for The JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt highlights differences in the records and policy plans of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on key health care issues.
Drew Altman: Pharmacies, Not the Military, Will Handle COVID-19 Vaccinations August 31, 2020 Perspective President Trump has conjured up the image of a top general and the military delivering the coronavirus vaccine drawing on their vast logistical experience. In his latest Axios column, Drew Altman explains why vaccine realities will dictate that it’s much more likely to be at your local Walgreens or CVS pharmacy.
Drew Altman: The Pandemic is Boosting the Public’s View of Doctors August 3, 2020 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman looks at how the heroic performance of the nation’s doctors on the frontlines of coronavirus care and effective communication by many physician scientists on television, is shifting the public’s views, with twice as many Americans now saying doctors put people ahead of profits than they did in earlier KFF polling.
Hotspot States See More COVID Cases in Nursing Homes July 21, 2020 Perspective In his Axios column, Drew Altman discusses new data on the surge of new infections in long-term care facilities in COVID-19 hotspots. The dominant narrative about the Sunbelt surge in new cases is that the infected population is younger, but he says that’s not the whole story. There is also a spike in cases in long-term care facilities, especially in Florida and Texas.
How Threatening The ACA Again Could Hurt Trump With Independent Voters July 7, 2020 Perspective In his Axios column, Drew Altman shows how threatening the Affordable Care Act in the U.S. Supreme Court, or overturning it, could hurt President Trump with independent voters, and says that could matter most in battleground states.