With the presidential election coming up in November, 2020, citizens around America have been worried about the impending change in national healthcare. As of 2017, 42% of American voters politically identify as independent: both Democrats and Republicans are attempting to change that. While both parties are counting on winning the presidency, not every contender has a plan to reform the current healthcare system.

What is known, however, is that most Democratic runners plan to expand on Medicaid–what most know as “Obamacare.” Some candidates, such as Elizabeth Warren, preach about a “Medicare for all” society, which would get rid of all private insurers, while more moderates candidates, in particular Joe Biden, are running on a “Medicare for some” system. Despite the technical differences, both plan to tweak the ACA (Affordable Care Act) which would cause the healthcare inflation rate to noticeably rise and taxes to raise in order to offset the cost of millions of new users. According to Forbes, the government is currently able to transfer the costs of citizens on Medicare to private insurers for 120-130% of the costs; hence the loss of more private insurers if Medicaid is expanded on.

Unlike the Democrats, candidates for the Republican party are not united under a single healthcare idea–besides being against Medicare. Republicans in the past decades have made it clear that they support coverage for all Americans as long as insurance is through a private healthcare provider. Recently, however, conservative Republicans often speak highly negatively about the ACA: the minimum protection many people with pre-existing conditions count on when most Republican states do not want to purchase private insurance for all. If the ACA is repealed, it would suddenly leave 20 million people uninsured according to Newsweek. President Trump himself has not been entirely clear on his plan against the ACA, but his main belief lays in giving benefactors more freedom to choose cheaper healthcare plans. In reality, these cheaper plans cover their receivers less: meaning people with pre-existing conditions could be excluded, maternity care isn’t required, and deductibles could raise higher than expected.

Nevertheless, neither party has discussed their plans in detail. Most citizens are unaware that government officials have the power to influence the healthcare issue. It is completely within Congress’s power to curb drug prices, set tighter limits on Rx patients, and punish hospitals for wasting billions of dollars on redundant and injurious treatment. If a discussion was open about these possible healthcare solutions, a better plan for the nation’s healthcare system could evolve.