What a 2nd Trump term may look like for health care issues including ACA, abortion

Former President Donald Trump is set to return to nan White House aft winning Tuesday night's election.

As of Wednesday morning, Trump surpassed nan 270 electoral votes request to unafraid nan presidency, and that could mean awesome changes to nan wellness attraction landscape.

During his campaign, Trump vowed to make nan Affordable Care Act "better" and to protect "women." He besides suggested that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would style nan nationalist wellness schedule of his administration.

This is what a 2nd Trump word would mean for wellness attraction policies including wellness security and reproductive rights.

Future of nan ACA and Medicare

Trump has been inconsistent connected what his plans are regarding nan Affordable Care Act (ACA), nan landmark rule signed successful 2010 by then-President Barack Obama.

During his first term, Trump tried respective times to repeal nan ACA but was unsuccessful. In November 2023, he besides vowed to switch it successful a station connected his societal media planform, Truth Social.

Republican statesmanlike nominee erstwhile President Donald Trump arrives astatine an predetermination nighttime watch statement astatine nan Palm Beach Convention Center, Nov. 6, 2024, successful West Palm Beach, Fla.

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Since then, he has shifted course. In March, Trump said is "not moving to terminate" nan ACA but said he wanted to make it "better" and "less expensive," successful a station connected Truth Social.

During nan September presidential debate, he said he had "concepts of a plan" and said it would beryllium "better wellness attraction than Obamacare," but offered fewer details.

There could besides beryllium changes to Medicare, a national wellness security programme for group aged 65 aliases older and younger group pinch disabilities.

Trump has promoted Medicare Advantage, which is tally by commercialized insurers. What's more, Project 2025 -- a scheme of blimpish argumentation proposals projected by nan Heritage Foundation and not endorsed by Trump -- has projected Medicare Advantage beryllium nan default action for Medicare coverage.

Experts person said this could privatize nan program and forestall group from receiving attraction from doctors and hospitals that don't judge Medicare Advantage.

Also astatine consequence are those pinch pre-existing conditions. Under nan ACA, insurers cannot complaint much aliases contradict sum to personification aliases their kid because of a pre-existing wellness condition. However, Vice President-elect JD Vance has suggested placing group pinch chronic conditions into abstracted consequence pools, which could raise premiums for those pinch pre-existing conditions.

Kennedy vows to region fluoride from drinking water, vaccine review

During a kindness meal past period successful New York City, Trump pledged that Kennedy would "go chaotic connected health."

Kennedy, an biology lawyer pinch nary nationalist wellness aliases aesculapian background, has been vocal connected definite wellness policies he would for illustration to tackle including fluoride successful drinking h2o and reappraisal of vaccines.

In an interview pinch NPR connected Wednesday morning, Kennedy doubled down connected his committedness that nan Trump management will urge that section governments region fluoride from their h2o supplies.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a run rally for Republican statesmanlike nominee, erstwhile President Donald Trump astatine Macomb Community College connected Nov. 1, 2024, successful Warren, Michigan.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

He has claimed that fluoride successful drinking h2o affects children's neurological improvement and that different countries which person removed fluoride from their h2o supplies person not seen an summation successful cavities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fluoride prevents cavities and repairs damaged to teeth caused by germs successful nan mouth. Fluoride besides replaces minerals mislaid from teeth owed to acerb breakdown, according to nan agency.

Additionally, Kennedy told NPR he would activity "immediately" to summation investigation into nan information of vaccines, though he insisted, "We're not going to return vaccines distant from anybody."

"We are going to make judge that Americans person bully information," he said. "Right now, nan subject connected vaccine safety, particularly, has immense deficits successful it. We're going to make judge those technological studies are done, and that group tin make informed choices astir their vaccinations and their children's vaccinations."

Top U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have said that FDA-approved vaccines are "high quality, effective, and safe."

In an question and reply pinch NBC News, he besides suggested firing galore workers astatine nan FDA's nutrition department.

Uncertainty astir nan early of reproductive rights

Although Trump has taken credit for ending Roe v. Wade -- which was overruled by nan U.S. Supreme Court successful 2022 -- he was hesitant during his run to authorities his stance connected abortion.

During nan statesmanlike statement successful September, he said he believed successful exceptions for rape, incest and to prevention nan mother's life but declined to opportunity if he would veto a nationalist ban.

However, successful October, he wrote on nan societal level X that he would not support a national abortion ban, and said abortions laws are up to nan will of nan voters successful individual states.

Trump told CBS News successful August he would not usage nan 150-year-old Comstock Act to prohibition message transportation of medicine abortion pills, which drew rebuke from immoderate conservatives and anti-abortion advocates.

In September, during a rally successful Pennsylvania, he said he would beryllium a "protector" of women and that they "wouldn't beryllium reasoning astir abortion" if he were elected. He doubled down connected these claims past period during a rally successful Wisconsin, pinch Trump saying he would "protect" women "whether nan women for illustration it aliases not."

He has not offered specifics connected what being a "protector" intends successful this capacity.

ABC News' Will McDuffie contributed to this report.