Abortion dominant, but health sidelined: the road to Trump’s win
Donald Trump is the new US president after an ill tempered campaign that saw abortion dominate on the Democratic side but healthcare a minor part of the overall election discourse. Joanne Silberner reports on the medical issues that were debated—and what this may bode for the new president’s agenda The route to the US presidency this election season was a wild ride, marked by a relatively last minute change of candidates on the Democratic side, from incumbent president Joe Biden to his deputy Kamala Harris, and disinformation, misdirection, and odd statements by former president—now president elect—Donald Trump, the Republican candidate. Three weeks before voting day, Drew Altman, chief executive of the health policy research foundation KFF, wrote that this was not a “healthcare election.”1 Indeed, throughout the months long campaigning the only health topic that made it into the top tier for the presidential candidates was reproductive rights. Beyond that, the high price of prescripti
