GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, has found that 57% of industry experts believe that finding a COVID-19 vaccine is an important healthcare issue for the US presidential election in November. The COVID-19 pandemic and race for a vaccine has emphasized the need to address healthcare policy heading into the US presidential election in November. The presidential candidate that most successfully addresses issues related to healthcare will be able to secure the votes of many Americans.

Participants were asked about 10 different healthcare-related issues that have been points of discussion during the run up to the presidential election. The survey included issues such as “finding a COVID-19 vaccine”, “improving access to healthcare” and “improving the quality of healthcare”.

On the topic of healthcare access, 48% of respondents consider improving access to healthcare an important issue, while 41% believe the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to be of importance. Issues relating to healthcare costs were also of concern. For example, 42% of participants felt that reducing the cost of healthcare insurance was a major issue and 46% of respondents believe reducing the cost of prescription drugs and medical devices to be of importance. In a separate study, GlobalData found that industry experts perceive the Democrats as more likely to expand healthcare access, while Republicans are viewed as being better positioned to reduce healthcare costs. Therefore, voters that prioritize healthcare access will likely choose the Democratic party while individuals concerned with the cost of healthcare might vote Republican.

While results showed that industry experts are split between what issues they believe to be important, it was clear that finding a COVID-19 vaccine, healthcare access and reducing healthcare costs are perceived to be priorities in 2021. GlobalData expects that these issues will be a priority for the person to be elected president.

Issues that were found to be less important for the US presidential election include improving mental health services, reproductive health policies and opioid addiction. This is likely due to shifting healthcare priorities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

*GlobalData ran a one-month survey starting on September, 28 2020 with the question: “What are the most important healthcare issues for the US presidential election in November?”. The survey had 168 respondents.