Up until November 5th, 2024, the American people are grappling with decisions between democratic Harris-Walz and republican Trump-Vance policies on health care, specifically toward marginalized groups and the impact the outcome of the election will have on global health. This specific election will have the tables turned for the U.S. as the mindset of both the Harris and Trump administration has historically shifted To what foreign health policy will now be directly affected by the U.S. domestic health policy. Either party’s stance on human health care including rights to abortions, healthcare funding, nondiscriminant LGBTQ policies and citizen health benefits are imperative to the wellbeing of the American nation and proportionally across the world. In this edition, we draw attention to what our future leaders are proposing to support our basic healthcare rights, the sociological implications of them, and why our vote matters more than ever this election season.
Health policy experts from Johns Hopkins note that the U.S.’s views on healthcare impact policies worldwide where one administration supports access to abortion, more assistance and availability of women’s reproductive health would be supported and provided at the global scale. This idea holds true and wholly relevant to the promised sanction of women’s rights from the Harris administration vs state-prerogative attitudes of the Trump administration. Historically, this situation also applies to the response of the HIV/AIDS crisis when activists, policymakers, and international leaders tried to extend their health policies to other underdeveloped countries to promote health equality and raise ethical standards when treating mothers around the world.
It should also be noted the growing inequalities in sexual and reproductive health between white women and women of color, ensuring that efforts to end racial discrimination interwoven throughout our healthcare system is equally accessible and abundant across the U.S., even within healthcare deserts. Honing in on Harris’ racial identity, the Harris administration is adamant in proper Obamacare enrollment for all minorities and underprivileged individuals and increasing accessibility of drug therapy and patient care offered by Medicaid and Medicare services to underprivileged areas. The Trump administration would likely decrease federal funding as Project 2025’s plan to “reimburse” America, proposing project cuts in CDC funding, which would exacerbate major causes of deaths including heart disease, cancer, strokes, and pandemics with no funding to research and provide treatments for and leave women’s reproductive rights to state-level jurisdiction, an unpredictable method to guarantee their inherent rights.
These health doctrines also apply to the LGBTQ community. In the face of past legislative attacks on LGBTQ rights, the efficiency of accessing respectful healthcare services without gender- targeted care depends on the stances of the two candidates for office. Tied to the success of Biden’s Title IX protections for LGBTQ rights in schools and extracurriculars, Harris continues to strive to protect same sex and interracial marriages but affirms a tough stance involving legal action to those attesting to their sexual orientation for lighter sentences as a previous district attorney. Trump’s stance on LGBTQ rights has fluctuated throughout his career, spiraling into an inconsistent story backed up by polarizing support, which is mainly dependent between Trump’s word and his administration’s actions that have often discredited them.
The rights of immigrants in the U.S. are often overlooked. According to the 14th amendment, children born in the U.S. under the jurisdiction of undocumented parents are considered legal U.S. citizens. Therefore, they are constitutionally entitled to certain health benefits like food assistance and health insurance. However, this election scapegoated immigrants, from Trump allegations against immigrants as the root cause to economic instability in America to Harris fighting for their rights that should never have been jeopardized in the first place. Nonetheless, the immigrant pool is left impressed with an instilled fear of utilizing their benefits–either threatened to public charges or citizenship be endangered…
During this conflicting time the world is undergoing as the election ballots are filling, external, foreign affairs have caught the attention of all U.S. citizens in regards to tensions overseas and south along the formidable border. Most discussions revolve around border security and enforcing immigration status and strict legalization. Many are concerned over female rights that bear the very life of the human legacy. America has struggled to get to where it is in terms of striving for racial and gender equality and appreciation. With all these socio-economic issues in mind that directly affect all of American citizens’ health, the integrity of the executive leader will influence the entirety of the United States as well as impressioning its policy on foreign nations With concerning of mortality, effectiveness of healthcare technology, and enterprising U.S. global development, the goal is to strengthen political relationships and improve health efforts around the world. The 2024 election is perhaps the most influential event that will dictate how global health is promoted from this point forward. We still need to reform the health system in order to overcome health disparities domestically and internationally. Healthcare will continue to serve throughout the debate as a topic of contention, and its effects on political attitudes will persist as potent as it is humane.
