The 2016 Presidential Election is arguably one of the most controversial—as candidates are bringing to light various opinions and solutions on the well being of Americans. And in the world of health care, the opinions are even more varied, but what the higher ups in corporate America have to say might shock you.
An article by Modern Healthcare discusses the opinions of CEOs with regard to candidates and health care. Modern Healthcare’s second-quarter CEO Power Panel poll reflected the sentiments of CEOs in various industries—110 leaders total from companies including health insurance, hospitals, physician groups, trade associations and non-profits. The survey reflects their thoughts on what our future President should/shouldn’t do with health care.
Data suggests that CEOs feel the Republican nominee Donald Trump is way off in his proposed move to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act. In fact, much of the data sways in the direction of CEOs’ feeling that President Obama’s healthcare initiatives should remain in tact and therefore maintain the path that the ACA is currently traveling along. 67.4% of the respondents do not support the notion that changes should be implemented to the Affordable Care Act once the next President takes his/her seat, while 29.1% feel it depends on the details of the proposed changes. Only 2.3% reflect the definite sentiment that changes should be made.
Other survey results include 52.3% of CEOs agreeing that the next President and Congress should make changes to the U.S.’s private insurance system in allowing private insurers to sell their individual and family plans across state lines despite previous prevention of that practice through state-to-state laws. 20.9% feel Congress shouldn’t allow it. 74.4% would like an expansion of health savings accounts for payment of premiums and high deductibles, while 11.6% reject that idea.
Another interesting result includes the gradual expansion of Medicare for those over the age of 55 who don’t have private insurance. 48.8% do not want Medicare for over 55, while 21.4% do; yet 54.7% agree to raising Medicare eligibility to age 67, while 23.3% disagree.
The overarching concern that many CEOs feel is asking the question of “How?” when it comes to the candidates’ health care proposals and their execution—particularly those of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, the latter with a focus on single-payer systems. While Hillary Clinton’s proposal for the ACA to provide universal health care has 34.9% of the respondents invested, many feel they need more information.
To view other results from the survey, click here.