Voters may be restless over healthcare issues, but politicians, especially at the potential presidential level, aren't paying enough attention, Paul Keckley writes in his latest report.
The lack of meaningful healthcare discussion at last week's Republican debate, with abortion a notable exception, is a predictor of how little substantive focus healthcare will likely receive in the next several months, he writes.
"In Milwaukee, healthcare was essentially 'out of sight out of mind' to the moderators and debaters, despite being 18% of the U.S. economy and its biggest employer," he said.
State-level elections will be far more focused on healthcare than those at the presidential level, he noted.
"That's because governors and state legislators set direction on issues like abortion rights, drug price controls, Medicaid funding, scope of practice allowances and others," the report said. "Increasingly, state attorney's general [sic] and treasurers are weighing in on consolidation and spending."
More details can be found here.