Impact of President Trump’s new decree on US health

President Trump recently issued several executive orders, reflecting his previous policy priorities. Health experts say they will have far-reaching impacts on global health, reproductive freedom, abortion and transgender health care.

The most outstanding decision is withdraw America World Health Organization (WHO). This move was mentioned by Mr. Trump during his first term. Public health experts warn this could undermine global efforts to tackle the pandemic, develop new tests and treatments, and distribute resources to hard-hit areas. towel.

Leaving the WHO means the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not have access to the global data that this organization provides. This is an important part to create the annual seasonal flu vaccine. When China described the gene sequence of Covid-19 in 2020, the country also announced the information to WHO, which the United Nations health agency then shared with other countries.

“A public health threat anywhere is a threat everywhere. You cannot close the country in a connected world,” said Alice Miranda Ollstein, health reporter for Politico.

President Trump also recall Several policies under Biden are aimed at addressing the Covid-19 pandemic and preparing the country for future infectious disease outbreaks.

All were issued in 2021 amid the crisis, aiming to increase testing, research treatments, provide economic relief and increase cooperation with countries in the event of additional pandemics.

In his inauguration speech, Mr. Trump announced that he would reinstate and pay the salaries of soldiers fired for refusing to get vaccinated against Covid-19. He pledged to do this within the week, because he believed that these soldiers were “unfairly expelled from the army when protesting against mandatory Covid-19 vaccination regulations”.

Previously, about 8,000 soldiers were forced to leave the army for refusing to be vaccinated during the mandatory period from August 2021 to January 2023. The military makes some exceptions for medical issues or religious objections.

The number of troops affected represents less than 1% of the military, but the layoffs have caused political difficulties for the Biden administration and the Pentagon. Some soldiers filed lawsuits to try to stay in the military, claiming the order was illegal.

Mr. Trump has cancel executive order supporting the work of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. In his speech, he commented that America “has a health system that is not effective in times of emergency, but spends more money on this system than any other country in the world.”

Medicare and Medicaid manage the federal budget for health care, spending reaching 1.8 trillion USD, equivalent to 7% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023. This figure is higher than 1.6 trillion USD. billion USD of the entire European Union.

Medicare and Medicaid are conducting three trials of drug pricing models. The first model aims to help Medicaid programs pay for highly effective, but expensive, cell and gene therapies. The idea is to create a purchasing agreement between states, allowing individual states to avoid paying for drugs if they don’t work.

The second model examines Medicare coverage for drugs that receive emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration. This process helps patients access potential drugs earlier, before their effectiveness has been proven. Theoretically, the payments would encourage drugmakers to accelerate research.

The final pilot project was created to incentivize Medicare’s prescription drug program, which offers generic drugs for common chronic diseases, for a flat payment of $2. The goal is to standardize drug costs and encourage patients to continue searching for new drugs to treat their illnesses.

Previously, President Trump’s views on abortion rights also became the focus of debate, especially after the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade case in 2022. This year, although Mr. Trump signed dozens of executive orders upon returning to office, there was no executive order. Which order addresses abortion rights? According to Ms. Ollstein, this makes anti-abortion groups in the US worried.

These groups are expected to press for reinstatement of restrictions on programs to prevent women from having abortions, both domestically and internationally, as well as restricting access to abortion pills, which have become the go-to method of termination. Termination of pregnancy is common in the United States.

In his inauguration speech, Mr. Trump declared “there are only two genders, male and female”, At the same time, he promised to “end the government’s policy of trying to bring race and gender issues into every aspect of life, both public and private”.

According to Ms. Ollstein, this move could have a profound impact on access to health care for bisexual, pansexual, non-binary and transgender people. The policy change is especially worrisome for LGBTQ+ people who rely on the federal health service for post-surgical care or hormone therapy. This could lead them to reverse gender transition, with serious health consequences, experts warn.

This decree also affects other areas, such as education and identification documents. Transgender and nonbinary individuals will have difficulty obtaining passports and federal documents that reflect their gender identity, further marginalizing these communities.