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Not all elections are the same. In 2018, voters were motivated by the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, reactions to Donald Trump, the tax cut that mostly went to the wealthy and the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. After a 2020 election dominated by the pandemic and high unemployment, this year’s top issues are inflation, abortion and threats to democracy.
But while they’ve gotten less attention, health care and Social Security are on the ballot in 2022, too. Both are economic issues that matter a lot to living well and with dignity.
Polls show some voters care about certain health issues more than others.
The Inflation Reduction Act included numerous provisions that will make seniors’ prescription drugs cheaper — and that matters to them.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s October Health Tracking Poll, “the provisions aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs for people with Medicare are resonating with some voters, including those ages 65 and older. About two-thirds of voters ages 65 and older say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports capping out-of-pocket costs for insulin for people with Medicare (64 percent) or authorizing the federal government to negotiate the price of some prescription drugs for people with Medicare (65 percent), and three-fourths of older voters (73 percent) say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports placing a limit on out-of-pocket drug costs for people with Medicare.”
Overall, the top health care issue for voters is abortion, and it’s become increasingly important since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. The KFF poll found that “half of voters (50 percent) now say the Court’s decision has made them more motivated to vote, up from 43 percet who said the same in July and an increase of 13 percentage points from a similar question in May,” with the issue most resonating with women between 18 and 49 years old. Whether or when a woman can get a legal abortion has massive financial repercussions for her.
There are clear differences between the parties and candidates on these health issues. Maine Democratic candidates from Gov. Janet Mills on down generally support abortion rights and Rep. Jared Golden and Rep. Chellie Pingree voted for the legislation lowering prescription drug costs. Top Republican candidates typically take contrary positions.
Moreover, if Republicans gain control in Augusta or in Washington, D.C., it’s very likely they will cut people’s health coverage.
When governor, Paul LePage infamously blocked expanding MaineCare even after the Maine people voted for it at the ballot box and he’s never said he was wrong.
In contrast, Mills expanded coverage to nearly 100,000 Mainers, leading the state’s uninsured rate to drop to 5.7 percent. Dental coverage was added to MaineCare. Maine’s COVID response was ranked second best in the nation by the Commonwealth Fund.
The last time Bruce Poliquin, who is again seeking Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat, was in office he voted to repeal the ACA, which would have thrown tens of millions off health care, a vote he took after ducking a reporter in a memorable bathroom retreat incident. In a previous campaign, ads noted his vote for a budget that would begin privatizing Medicare.
Now prominent congressional Republicans, up to House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, say they would push for cuts in Social Security and Medicare if they gain control of the House or Senate. Privatizing these programs in part would be one way to cut them. Some Republicans are also proposing raising the Medicare eligibility age to 67 and the Social Security one to 70.
To get these cuts, which President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats oppose and are being proposed after the deficit has declined rapidly under Biden, Republicans are threatening to default on U.S. debt that’s already been incurred. A default or even its possibility would damage the U.S. and world economies.
With all the emphasis on other issues and with Republicans talking about these massively unpopular plans quietly while using vague, positive-sounding descriptors like “modernizing,” “strengthening,” and “personalizing,” many voters don’t know how much this election matters for their Social Security, Medicare and health care. It matters a lot.