What Trump winning the presidency again means for future of healthcare

Former President Donald Trump has secured power in the White House for the second time, beating Vice President Kamala Harris after a tumultuous and closely-watched campaign.

The race was called by numerous media outlets in the early hours of Wednesday morning and the healthcare implications of Trump’s unprecedented political comeback are vast.

Additionally, questions have been raised about which leaders—namely anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—will be involved in a second Trump administration.

In addition to the presidential win, several states voted on key healthcare measures—including 11 abortion measures that could have long-lasting impacts on reproductive rights.

Trump back in the White House

Throughout the presidential campaign, healthcare issues like abortion, the future of the ACA, the high cost of care and drug pricing emerged as major factors.

With Trump back in the White House, it’s unclear to what extent he’ll follow through on some of his sweeping campaign statements—like seeking to overhaul the ACA and replace it with his own plan.

In his victory speech, Trump also referenced the powerful public health role he planned to give Kennedy, noting that he is going to “help make America healthy again… He’s a great guy and he really means that he wants to do some things and we’re going to let him go do it.”

Leslie Isenegger, practice leader of corporate pricing and public affairs at Real Chemistry, a 2024 MM+M Agency 100 honoree, noted that the potential impacts of another Trump presidency are still somewhat unclear.

That means healthcare marketers will likely be faced with plenty of uncertainty for the time being.

“In the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen Trump talk a lot about bringing in RFK, Jr. and completely blowing up the current health system and existing regulatory policies,” Isenegger said. “There’s a sense of moving in a direction that’s departing from some of the Biden-Harris policies around things like the [Inflation Reduction Act].”

State abortion measures

Throughout his campaign, Trump repeatedly emphasized that he believed abortion should be left to the states and pledged he wouldn’t support a national ban.

The elections put the leave-it-to-the-states policy into practice, with 10 states casting ballots on whether to protect the right to abortion—including Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Missouri, New York, Maryland and Florida.

As of Wednesday afternoon, seven states have passed measures that protect abortion—including Arizona, which voted yes Proposition 139, expanding the right to abortion by limiting the state’s ability to interfere before fetal viability.

Missouri also voted to approve a measure that would protect the right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability, expanding access to the procedure where it is currently banned with no exceptions for rape or incest. 

Rachel Sweet, campaign manager of Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, noted in a statement that Missourians sent a clear message about “decisions around pregnancy,” including abortion, birth control and miscarriage care.

In addition, Colorado, Maryland, Montana, Nevada and New York all voted to protect the constitutional right to abortion.

Most notably, Florida voted against Amendment 4, which would create a constitutional right to abortion and prohibit laws that limit the procedure. The vote missed the 60% threshold to secure passage. 

As a result, Florida’s six-week abortion ban will remain in place.

Anti-abortion advocates applauded Florida’s move, with SBA Pro-Life America’s Marjorie Dannenfelser calling the result “a momentous victory for life in Florida and for our entire country.”

Likewise, South Dakota voters voted ‘No’ on Amendment G, which would have permitted abortion during the first trimester. South Dakota remains one of the strictest states when it comes to abortion restrictions—with the only exception being to save the life of the mother, and no exceptions for rape or incest.

What does this mean for healthcare marketers?

As the deeper impact of the elections is yet to be felt, Isenegger noted that healthcare marketers can still stay true to their storytelling goals — and urged them to focus more on hyper-local targeting rather than getting too tied up in big picture changes.

The abortion measures are a reflection of how politics are often felt most at the local level, she said.

“Where folks are making choices at a local level impacts their access more than necessarily voting for these bigger picture changes of the status quo system,” Isenegger said. “What that tells healthcare marketers is it’s important to have a ground game and to communicate hyper-locally.”

Even as politics are changing, there remains a “great opportunity” for healthcare marketers to focus more on local geographies as well as patient groups at a local level to champion the importance of the work pharma is doing, she continued.

Another takeaway from Trump’s campaign is that “he never stopped campaigning from the last election,” Isenegger said. What that means is healthcare marketers can get a head start on the midterm elections in 2026—and to keep up with constant messaging.

“It’s critical that healthcare marketers are talking about that local impact, connecting patients with local stakeholders, and continuing that drumbeat toward access and innovation in healthcare,” Isenegger said.

“As much as the election will have significant impact in the next two to four years on regulation, legislation, business environment, antitrust, etc.—I do think there’s the opportunity for healthcare marketers to continue the storytelling journey of why pharma companies do what they do, and why that’s important at a very granular level to an individual, to a family, to a community,” she continued.