The Republican Party’s Healthcare Policies:2016-2024

updated July 16, 2024

At the National Convention, the Republican Party wrote a new party platform to replace the one written in 2016 which this post reviews. I will soon publish a review of the new platform. In the meantime, I invite you to read the new platform at this link.

2024 Republican Party Platform

When I started this blog in 2015 I didn’t plan to write about politics or elections. But in 2016 there was a Presidential election and healthcare is an important issue, so I wrote about it.

Four years later there was another election so I covered it. And now, in 2024, we will vote again for President.

We are finally down to the last four months until November 5, 2024, when the United States will elect a new President and Vice President, House of Representatives, and multiple Senators.

The Republican Party convened on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to formally select candidates for President and Vice President.

On the first day with a roll call vote, the party confirmed Donald Trump as the Republican candidate. Mr. Trump selected Senator J.D. Vance as the Vice Presidential candidate.

In 2016 Trump ran against Democrat Hillary Clinton, losing the popular vote but winning the electoral vote which made him President.

In 2020 President Trump ran for re-election against Democrat and former Vice President Joseph Biden who won both the popular and electoral vote. Trump contested the election then and continues to do so.

Trump and Biden are the oldest to ever run for United States President (on a major ticket).

Party Platforms

According to Ballotpedia

• A political party platform or platform outlines a party’s principles, goals, and positions on domestic and foreign affairs.
•  Platforms are typically announced at the party’s national convention.
•  They do not necessarily have a binding effect on elected officials or candidates within the party.

This post reviews the 2016 Republican Party platform.

On its website, the Republican Party shares its 2016 platform. They chose not to update it in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee began meeting this week to update the platform in time for the convention on July 15.

I will post information about the Democratic party platform before their convention in August. These reviews are non-partisan and not an endorsement of the parties or candidates. They are presented to inform and inspire you as you plan your vote this November.

I summarize what I consider highlights but encourage you to read the entire document. I include points that express the party’s positions and proposals on healthcare-related issues.

The photos are for illustration only and are not associated with the platform or the party.

The Republican Party Platform

Our platform is centered on stimulating economic growth for all Americans, protecting constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms, ensuring the integrity of our elections, and maintaining our national security.

We are working to preserve America’s greatness for our children and grandchildren.

Republican National Committee

Great American Families, Education, Healthcare, and Criminal Justice

(the introduction to the 2016 platform on health)

“We are the party of independent individuals and the institutions they create together — families, schools, congregations, neighborhoods — to advance their ideals and make real their dreams. Those institutions, standing between the citizen and the power of government, are the pillars of a free society.

They create spaces where the power of government should not intrude. They allow Americans to work together to solve most of the problems facing their communities.

Our society is at a crossroads. The question is whether we are going to reinvigorate the private-sector institutions under citizen control or allow their continued erosion by the forces of centralized social planning. In that divide, the Republican Party stands with the people.”

Marriage, Family, and Society

“Foremost among those institutions is the American family. It is the foundation of civil society, and the cornerstone of the family is natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman.

That is why Republicans formulate public policy, from taxation to education, from healthcare to welfare, with attention to the needs and strengths of the family.”

Republicans

oppose policies and laws that create a financial incentive for or encourage cohabitation

do not accept the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage and we urge its reversal, whether through judicial reconsideration or a constitutional amendment returning control over marriage to the states

Families formed or enlarged by adoption strengthen our communities and ennoble our nation. Private entities which facilitate adoptions enrich our communities

Republicans

support measures such as the First Amendment Defense Act to ensure these entities do not face government discrimination because of their views on marriage and family

urge marriage penalties to be removed from the tax code and public assistance programs 

Choice in Education 

“We support options for learning, including home-schooling, career and technical education, private or parochial schools, magnet schools, charter schools, online learning, and early-college high schools.

We especially support the innovative financing mechanisms that make options available to all children: education savings accounts (ESAs), vouchers, and tuition tax credits.”

Republicans

propose that the bulk of federal money through Title I for low-income children and through IDEA for children with special needs should follow the child to whatever school the family thinks will work best for them

renew our call for replacing “family planning” programs for teens with sexual risk avoidance education that sets abstinence until marriage as the responsible and respected standard of behavior

oppose school-based clinics that provide referral or counseling for abortion and contraception and believe that federal funds should not be used in mandatory or universal mental health, psychiatric, or socio-emotional screening programs

support the original, authentic meaning of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. It affirmed that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Republicans

commend the good-faith efforts by law enforcement, educational institutions, and their partners to address (sexual assault) responsibly, and further propose

Whenever reported, it must be promptly investigated by civil authorities and prosecuted in a courtroom, not a faculty lounge

Questions of guilt or innocence must be decided by a judge and jury, with guilt determined beyond a reasonable doubt

Those convicted of sexual assault should be punished to the full extent of the law 

Restoring Patient Control and Preserving Quality in Healthcare

“Any honest agenda for improving healthcare must start with repeal of the dishonestly named Affordable Care Act of 2010: Obamacare. It must be removed and replaced with an approach based on genuine competition, patient choice, excellent care, wellness, and timely access to treatment. “

Republicans propose

The President, on the first day in office, will use legitimate waiver authority under the law to

halt its advance and then, with the unanimous support of Congressional Republicans, will sign its repeal.

reduce mandates and enable insurers and providers of care to increase healthcare options and contain costs.

return to the states their historic role of regulating local insurance markets, limit federal requirements on both private insurance and Medicaid, and call on state officials to reconsider the costly medical mandates, imposed under their own laws, that price millions of low-income families out of the insurance market. 

block grant Medicaid and other payments and to assist all patients, including those with pre-existing conditions, to obtain coverage in a robust consumer market

affirm the dignity of women by protecting the sanctity of human life… abortion endangers the health and well-being of women, and we stand firmly against it.

To ensure vigorous competition in healthcare, and because cost-awareness is the best guard against over-utilization,

Republicans will

promote price transparency so consumers can know the cost of treatments before they agree to them

empower individuals and small businesses to form purchasing pools in order to expand coverage to the uninsured

We believe that individuals with preexisting conditions who maintain continuous coverage should be protected from discrimination. We applaud the advance of technology in electronic medical records while affirming patient privacy and ownership of personal health information.

Today’s highly mobile workforce needs portability of insurance coverage that can go with them from job to job.

Republicans  

propose to end tax discrimination against the individual purchase of insurance and allow consumers to buy insurance across state lines

propose repealing the 1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act which protects insurance companies from anti-trust litigation

look to the growth of Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Accounts that empower patients and advance choice in healthcare

make homecare (for senior adults)  a priority in public policy and will implement programs to protect against elder abuse.

Protecting Individual Conscience in Healthcare

“We respect the rights of conscience of healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and organizations, especially the faith-based groups which provide a major portion of care for the nation and the needy. ” 

Republicans

support the ability of all organizations to provide, purchase, or enroll in healthcare coverage consistent with their religious, moral, or ethical convictions without discrimination or penalty.  

support the right of parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children

support the right of parents to consent to medical treatment for their minor children and urge enactment of legislation that would require parental consent for their daughter to be transported across state lines for abortion

Providers should not be permitted to unilaterally withhold services because a patient’s life is deemed not worth living. American taxpayers should not be forced to fund abortion.

Republicans

call for a permanent ban on federal funding and subsidies for abortion and healthcare plans that include abortion coverage

Better Care and Lower Costs: Tort Reform

“Medical malpractice lawsuits have ballooned the cost of healthcare for everyone by forcing physicians to practice defensive medicine through tests and treatments which otherwise might be optional. “

Republicans

support state and federal legislation to cap non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits, thereby relieving conscientious providers of burdens that are not rightly theirs and addressing a serious cause of higher medical bills.

Advancing Research and Development in Healthcare

“To continue our headway against breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, and other killers, research must consider the needs of formerly neglected demographic groups. “

Republicans

call for expanded support for the stem cell research that now offers the greatest hope for many afflictions — through adult stem cells, umbilical cord blood, and cells reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells — without the destruction of embryonic human life

urge a ban on human cloning for research or reproduction, and a ban on the creation of, or experimentation on, human embryos for research 

support cutting federal and state funding for entities that endanger women’s health by performing abortions in a manner inconsistent with federal or state law

Putting Patients First: Reforming the FDA

“The continuously increasing burden of governmental regulation and red tape is taking its toll on our innovative companies, and their pipeline of new life-saving devices and drugs to our nation’s patients is slowing and diminishing. 

The FDA needs to return to its traditional emphasis on hard science and approving new breakthrough medicines, rather than divert its attention and consume its resources trying to overregulate electronic health records or vaping”.

Republicans

pledge to restore the FDA to its position as the premier scientific health agency, focused on both promoting and protecting the public health in equal measure 

allowing terminally ill patients the right to try investigational medicines not yet approved by the FDA.  

urge Congress to pass federal legislation to give all Americans with terminal illnesses the right to try

Advancing Americans with Disabilities

Under the last two Republican presidents, landmark civil rights legislation affirmed the inherent rights of persons with disabilities. Republicans want to support those rights by guaranteeing access to education and the tools necessary to compete in the mainstream of society.”

To encourage their entrepreneurship, it makes sense to include them in the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) certification program, which opens up federal contracting for emerging businesses. Any restructuring of the tax code should consider ways in which companies can benefit from the talent and energy of their disabled employees.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has opened up unprecedented opportunities for many students. Congressional 

Republicans will 

lead in its reauthorization, as well as renewal of the Higher Education Act, which can offer students with disabilities increased access to the general curriculum.

Our TIME Act (Transition to Integrated and Meaningful Employment) will modernize the Fair Labor Standards Act to encourage competitive employment for persons with disabilities

affirm our support for its goal of minimizing the separation of children with disabilities from their peers

endorse efforts like Employment First that replace dependency with jobs in the mainstream of the American workforce.

oppose the non-consensual withholding of care or treatment from people with disabilities, including newborns, the elderly, and infirm, just as we oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide, which endanger especially those on the margins of society

urge the Drug Enforcement Administration to restore its ban on the use of controlled substances for physician-assisted suicide.

Ensuring Safe Neighborhoods: Criminal Justice and Prison Reform 

The men and women of law enforcement — whether patrolling our neighborhoods or our borders, fighting organized crime or guarding against domestic terror — deserve our gratitude and support. Their jobs are never easy, especially in crisis situations, and should not be made more difficult by politicized second-guessing from federal officials.

To honor their sacrifice, we recommit ourselves, as individuals and as a party, to the rule of law and the pursuit of justice

A new Administration must ensure the immediate dismissal and, where appropriate, prosecution of any Department officials who have violated their oath of office.

The next president must restore the public’s trust in law enforcement and civil order by first adhering to the rule of law himself

must not sow seeds of division and distrust between the police and the people they have sworn to serve and protect.

The Republican Party must make clear in words and action that every human life matters

Combatting Drug Abuse

“The progress made over the last three decades against drug abuse is eroding, whether for cultural reasons or for lack of national leadership. 

Congress and a new administration should consider the long-range implications of these trends for public health and safety and prepare to deal with the problematic consequences.”

Republicans

look for expeditious agreement between the House and Senate on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which addresses the opioid epidemic from both the demand and supply sides of the problem.

.

Preserving Medicare and Medicaid

(This is in a section titled Government Reform)

“We intend to save Medicare by modernizing it, empowering its participants, and putting it on a secure financial footing. We will preserve the promise of Medicaid as well by making that program, designed for 1965 medicine, a vehicle for good health in an entirely new era.”

Republicans propose

Impose no changes for persons 55 or older.

Give others the option of traditional Medicare or transition to a premium-support model designed to strengthen patient choice, promote cost-saving competition among providers, and better guard against the fraud and abuse that now diverts billions of dollars every year away from patient care.

Guarantee to every enrollee an income-adjusted contribution toward a plan of their choice, with catastrophic protection.

Without disadvantaging present retirees or those nearing retirement, set a more realistic age for eligibility in light of today’s longer life span.

We applaud the Republican governors and state legislators who have undertaken the hard work of modernizing Medicaid. We will give them a free hand to do so by block-granting the program without strings. 

Using block grants would allow states to experiment with different systems to address mental health and develop successful models to be replicated in states across the nation.

We respect the states’ authority and flexibility to exclude abortion providers from federal programs such as Medicaid and other healthcare and family planning programs so long as they continue to perform or refer for elective abortions or sell the body parts of aborted children.

The Second Amendment: Our Right to Keep and Bear Arms

(This is in a section  titled A Rebirth of Constitutional Government)

“We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a natural inalienable right that predates the Constitution and is secured by the Second Amendment. Lawful gun ownership enables Americans to exercise their God-given right of self-defense for the safety of their homes, their loved ones, and their communities.”

Republicans

support firearm reciprocity legislation to recognize the right of law-abiding Americans to carry firearms to protect themselves and their families in all 50 states

support constitutional carry statutes and salute the states that have passed them

oppose any effort to deprive individuals of their right to keep and bear arms without due process of law.

condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and the (past)Administration’s illegal harassment of firearm dealers

oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners, registration of ammunition, and restoration of the ill-fated Clinton gun ban.

call for a thorough investigation — by a new Republican administration — of the deadly “Fast and Furious” operation perpetrated by Department of Justice officials who approved and allowed illegal sales of guns to known violent criminals

Here is the link to the 2016 Republican Party Platform

exploring the HEART of healthcare politics

I appreciate your interest in the politics of healthcare, an issue that is vital to all of us every day. These proposals will become more focused and debated as election day approaches; the national election is Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Please exercise your right to vote, I plan to.

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Dr. Aletha

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