Tuesday, June 25, 2019

As Trump issues an order about health-care costs, Democrats try to capitalize on the issue with rural voters

Recent polling in small towns and rural areas of battleground states has informed a new $50 million campaign for Democratic group American Bridge to win over some of President Trump's base, Scott Bland reports for Politico. "The survey was conducted online by Anzalone Liszt Grove Research from June 3-9, surveying 1,700 voters in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin."

Republican-leaning voters in small towns and rural areas of battleground states said they approved of Trump overall, but were far less positive on key issues that affected voters' wallets and well-being. Half rated Trump negatively on "cutting taxes for people like me," and responses were even less favorable on several health-care questions. "Just 25 percent of respondents gave Trump a positive rating for 'reducing health care costs,' compared to 67 percent who rated him negatively, while they split against Trump 39-51 on 'taking on the drug and pharmaceutical companies,'" Bland reports.

American Bridge President Bradley Beychok told Bland that the group isn't trying to win over most of Trump's rural voters in 2020, but even modest gains compared to 2016 would be a big boost: "We’re trying to go from losing these segments [of voters] 85-15 to maybe 75-25."

Trump does polls, too, and surely sees the same weakness. Yesterday he issued an executive order for price transparency by hospitals and insurance companies, but left it up to the Department for Health and Human Services how detailed the transparency would have to be. "After failing to carry out his biggest 2016 health-care promise — repealing Obamacare — the president is trying to reinvent himself as the champion of consumer choice in the often-befuddling American health-care system., Paige Winfield Cunningham reports for The Washington Post.

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