America has just elected the US president who will move into the White House on January 20, 2021. However, who will win the race for the U.S. presidential election is, according to the latest information, still open on the morning of November 5, with Joe Biden (Democrat) currently leading the way. The health policy of the USA could therefore be shaped over the next four years by Donald Trump (Republican ) or by Joe Biden. It is a fact that Americans have the highest per capita health expenditure in the world at USD 11,072 (GDP: 17 percent) (as of 2019). Switzerland follows in second place, and third place is shared by Germany and Norway with USD 6,600 and 11.7 percent of GDP. The U.S. healthcare system is not only expensive and bloated but also inefficient, critics say. However, both candidates promised during the election campaign that this would change after the election. Trump’s plans look different from Biden’s. Trump continues to be in favor of abolishing the high prices of pharmaceuticals. In return, he wants to introduce cheaper imports from Canada or a reference system based on the prices in other countries. He also wants to move drug production away from China to his own country in order to be more independent. Pharmacy Benefit Manager, or PBM for short, and its power in the drug supply chain to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies on behalf of health insurance companies, he wants to limit. The negotiated discounts should go to the patients if Trump has his way. Biden is also in favor of lowering the high prices of pharmaceuticals. He wants to cap prices by letting experts for government health programs negotiate with drug manufacturers; an independent commission should regulate prices. There will be no tax breaks for the pharmaceutical industry, that is right at the top of his agenda. There will also be no market concentration of powerful pharmaceutical giants if Joe Biden has his way.
„Obamacare“ is also a big topic for both men. At the same time, all Americans should receive state healthcare. How this is to be implemented is a matter of difference between the views of the two politicians. Trump is betting on a reduction of the law that Barack Obama introduced because the system costs too much money. However, Trump’s new plan remains unclear. Biden, on the other hand, is in favor of expanding Obamacare’s health care system through a so-called „Public Option“ to be introduced by him, which would give all Americans, including 12 million registered immigrants, access to state health programs. Reducing contributions from 9.86 percent of household income to 8.5 percent is also high on Biden’s agenda. In contrast, both presidential candidates are in favor of ending „surprise billing“. After hospital stays, Americans receive bills that they should pay out of their own pockets because some services are not covered by health insurance. However, the system is to be abolished. Biden also stands for further government investment in the care of the elderly and sick as well as children. This also includes tax breaks for family carers and more investment in the training of medical and nursing staff. Scientific expertise is also very important to him. Biden also received greater financial support in the election campaign of pharmaceutical companies. By November 1, it was a handsome sum of eleven million US dollars, although Trump only received two million.