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(NewsNation) — Republicans have been talking for 13 years about repealing the Affordable Care Act but have failed to propose any alternative for health care reform.
Health care has again become a focal point of the presidential election and was featured in Wednesday night’s debate hosted by NewsNation.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is promising “something better” than the ACA passed during the Obama administration. But Florida has more uninsured people than almost any other state.
So, why should Americans trust him more than other Republicans on health care?
“We are going to go after the cost. You’re paying too much for everything,” DeSantis said. “You need price transparency. You need to hold the pharmaceuticals accountable. You need to hold big insurance and big government accountable, and we’re going to get that done. I think it’s very, very important economically. I think it’s very, very important for the country that we get that done.”
However, the governor has yet to release a specific policy proposal for what he plans to do on health care if elected. He said in an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that his campaign will likely roll out a proposal in the spring.
In Florida, DeSantis’ fiscal year 2023-2024 state budget includes more than $531 million in funding toward behavioral health services, including support for mental health treatment facilities, competency restoration services and enhancement of 988 suicide and crisis lifeline services.
The NewsNation debate question about health care was also posed to Vivek Ramaswamy, the 38-year-old entrepreneur who founded a biotech company.
He said America has a “broken health care system.”
“We need to start having diverse insurance options in a competitive marketplace that cover actual health — preventative medicine, diet, exercise, lifestyle and otherwise,” Ramaswamy said. “Here’s how we deliver that: End the antitrust exemptions for health insurance companies. That’s where the competitive marketplace begins.”
Previously, Ramaswamy has emphasized faith-based treatments for mental health over medication.
“Stop pushing artificial pharmaceutical treatments & rely instead on faith-based approaches that restore purpose to people’s lives,” Ramaswamy posted on X.
He’s also been vocal about removing “violent psychiatrically deranged” people from communities and pushed for involuntary commitments to mental health facilities.