The sheer number of candidates and unprecedented mudslinging in this year's race for the Republican presidential nomination has effectively veiled the lack of policy details in the remaining candidates' campaigns.
This is especially true for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's healthcare policies — which have not developed beyond repealing the Affordable Care Act. However, as candidates drop out and the dust clears, many are starting to take notice of his absence of healthcare strategy, as this Politico report notes.
Sen. Cruz has been a staunch opponent of the ACA. If not proven by his 21-hour marathon speech on the failings of the healthcare reform law in 2013, it is through his repeated vows to repeal the law while campaigning for the presidency. However, Sen. Cruz has also avoided pinning down what should come after repealing the ACA, beyond general Republican ideas like allowing the sale of insurance across state lines and establishing health savings accounts, according to Politico.
It is likely he has avoided talking healthcare specifics to avoid giving other candidates an opportunity to poke holes in his campaign, the report notes. But heading into the Wisconsin primaries, detailing a healthcare plan could be Sen. Cruz's best bet to beat out frontrunner Donald Trump, according to the report.
"One of the defining decisions the rest of the way in the Republican race is whether Cruz decides to put out a full-fledged alternative and really vaults Obamacare to the center of the race," Jeffrey Anderson, a senior fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute think tank, told Politico. "It's always seemed like it could be his best issue, but by not putting out an alternative he's been unable to capitalize on it."
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