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To the Editor:

Elections matter. Changes in power frequently lead to major shifts in public policy and it behooves you, the voter, to pay close attention to the issues that matter to you and to the positions candidates for office take on those issues when casting your votes.

Last year, I wrote several opinion pieces that appeared in this paper on what a Trump presidency might mean for health care in this country, specifically the future of the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) drug pricing and other health provisions, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. I warned that both pieces of legislation, signature accomplishments of Presidents Biden and Obama, were at risk under a Trump presidency. Both laws enjoy broad public support.

To recap briefly, the IRA empowers Medicare to negotiate the price of certain prescription drugs with manufacturers. Another provision of the law extended enhanced subsidies for those who get their health care coverage under the ACA. More than 24 million Americans are enrolled in ACA plans in 2025. Under the IRA, Medicare beneficiaries receive free recommended vaccines, and beginning this year, everyone enrolled in Medicare prescription drug coverage will have their out-of-pocket costs capped at $2,000.

The ACA provides an important safety net for those who do not have job-based coverage or government insurance such as Medicare or Medicaid; protects those with pre-existing conditions such as cancer, asthma, or diabetes from being denied coverage or charged higher premiums; allows young people to remain on their parents’ health plan until the age of 26; and gives states the option of expanding their Medicaid programs.

Following his inauguration, President Trump wasted little time issuing executive orders aimed at reversing some of former President Biden’s own executive orders that sought to expand coverage and lower health care costs. For example, Trump overrode one of Biden’s orders that led to longer enrollment periods for ACA plans in most states and extra funding to help people enroll. He also stopped an initiative to limit prescription drug spending by Medicare and Medicaid.

These early actions by President Trump could well portend an Administration health care agenda that further jeopardizes federal health programs, such as the IRA’s drug price protections for Medicare and privately insured patients, and the ACA. While wholesale changes to these laws would require action by Congress, much can be done through regulation to undermine their success. And now that both branches of Congress – the House of Representatives and the Senate – are controlled by the Republican Party, there is greater cause for concern about the future of both the Inflation Reduction Act and the Affordable Care Act.

What can you do to be an informed citizen about these important matters?

• Pay close attention to news that offers coverage of health care policy in Washington. A daily free newsletter that I recommend is Kaiser Family Foundation Health News, https://kffhealthnews.org/email-signup/
• Call your lawmakers in opposition to any proposed changes to the ACA and the IRA that may affect you or your loved ones. Your two Senators, Republicans Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, can be reached by calling the U.S. Capitol Switch Board at 202-224-3121. Your House member, Republican Representative Greg Murphy, can be reached at 202-225-3121.
• Email your lawmakers about issues of concern. For Rep. Greg Murphy, visit https://gregmurphyforms.house.gov/contact/ Murphy has an office in Manteo at 954

Marshall Collins Drive, Room 194

• For Senator Tillis, visit https://www.tillis.senate.gov/contact/
• For Senator Budd, visit https://www.budd.senate.gov/contact/
• Be sure to vote! Both Senator Tillis and Rep. Murphy are up for reelection in 2026.

Laura Allendorf, Manteo

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