Donald Trump has created quite a stir as soon as he stepped in as the 45th President of the United States of America. His first order was directed to reduce the fiscal load of the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care). He reinstated the Global Gag rule and strengthened border security by ordering to build the Mexico border wall. He passed the order for suspending refuge admission and barring entry of immigrants from certain Muslim countries. He has been the topic of conversation everywhere.
As stated, Donald Trump has decided to repeal Obama care. He has offered some tangible facts on his plans on healthcare but the larger picture is still unclear. Also, a part of Republican senators wants a written replacement policy before repealing Obama care. This could take months or years. While Big Brother works on reforms and complete overhauling of various policies, the entire world watches with bated breath.
The Donald Trump Impact – Healthcare- Globally
Healthcare Services
President Donald Trump has portrayed himself as a ‘pro-life’ person. Among the many orders he passed as soon as he held the presidency, the most provoking was stopping aid to non-governmental organizations across the globe that advocate abortion services. The ban applies to all US foreign aid that supports abortion or even converses abortion as a family planning option.
This global gag rule is not new to the world. It was first implemented by Ronald Reagan in 1984. Bill Clinton repealed it. George W Bush reinstated it. Barak Obama repealed it. Donald Trump reinstated and expanded it in an unparalleled way. As per Population Action International (PAI), the gag rule would adversely affect around US$ 9.5 billion in global health funding in comparison to US$ 575 million in family planning and reproductive health.
The most detrimental fact about the gag rule is that it tries to control how international organizations dispose of their own funds from other sources. This has been looked upon as a step to stop abortions globally. Organizations must distance themselves from abortion or lose funding for other medical requirements. The gag rule, however, does not emphasize a lower abortion rate. For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa there were higher abortion rates after George Bush imposed the gag rule. With reduced access to contraception, women were susceptible to unwanted pregnancies that they chose to terminate.
The outrageous extension of the gag rule would affect health organizations in 60 low and middle-income countries. The lack of financial backing will negatively affect not only abortion but extend to contraception. It may further evade organizations from offering services for HIV prevention, maternal healthcare, etc. This may have an upsetting effect on women’s health across the globe. This will spread the US abortion war across the globe, the victims would be women outside the U.S.
Large global family planning organizations such as International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International (MSI) have indicated that they disagree with the gag rule. They are not going to stop offering abortion services. They have stated that such a policy refutes human rights putting women’s life at risk. Safe abortion is an important part of women’s reproductive health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that unsafe abortion causes 13% of maternal deaths worldwide.
The gag rule will lead to more women deaths amongst developing nations. Marie Stopes International claims that without a substitute funding, the loss of its services will lead to 6.5 million unintended pregnancies, 2.2 million abortions, 2.1 million unsafe abortions, and 21,700 maternal deaths, from 2017 to 2020. The organization will also be unable to reach 1.5 million women with contraception each year.
It is estimated that Marie Stopes International will have a US$ 30 million deficit after losing funds through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which is about 20% of its annual budget. This implies that 1.5 million women would be deprived of access to contraception through its clinics. IPPF said that it estimates losses in the tune of US$ 100 million, which is around 25% of its budget, affecting programs in 30 countries.
As per an independent study, reduced funding to USAID would also lead to staff reduction and clinic closure. During the Bush Presidency, due to gag rule, a network of clinics that aided more than 1,300 communities in Ghana had decreased its nursing staff by 44 percent.
Healthcare Companies
When Donald Trump was elected US President, drug stocks soared as he was considered favorable to industry than Hillary Clinton. However, he has targeted companies that offer value-added goods and services to the government. He has assured us to force drug and biotechnology companies to bid for government business. He asserted the government would save billions. He commented that though the United States of America was the largest buyer of drugs, still the bidding was not appropriate. Not surprisingly, the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index fell 3% and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences Index fell 1.7%. Trump insisted that he would direct new procedures for bidding on drugs for government programs.