Health Issues and the Election Quiz

With health care a top issue in the 2020 election, test your knowledge about health facts, policy issues and proposals that are emerging among the presidential candidates. Take the quiz, share a link to the quiz with your colleagues and friends, and post your score on Twitter. Get Started Share Quiz





1 Which proposal has not been endorsed by at least one of the major Democratic presidential candidates? Adopt Medicare-for-all Improve ACA coverage by making premiums and deductibles more affordable Allow people to choose coverage under a public program, like Medicare Establish a national health service, like the British health care system Each of the above has been endorsed by at least one major Democratic presidential candidate None of the major Democratic presidential candidates have endorsed establishing a national health service in the United States, where physicians would be employed by the government, similar to the British health care system.

2 Since the Affordable Care Act was passed into law, the number of uninsured people in the U.S. has: Increased by approximately 1 million Decreased by approximately 1 million Decreased by approximately 5 million Decreased by approximately 20 million Since the enactment of the ACA in 2010, the number of people without health insurance has decreased from 46.5 million in 2010 to 27.9 million in 2018-- a decrease of approximately 20 million.

3 What was the average annual premium for employer-sponsored health insurance for a family of four in 2019, taking into account both the employer and the worker contributions? About $7,500 About $10,000 About $15,000 About $20,000 In 2019, the average annual premium for employer-sponsored health insurance for family coverage including both the worker and employer contribution was $20,576. The total premium increased 22% from 2014 ($16,834).

4 What share of total national health expenditures was spent on retail prescription drugs in 2018? Less than 10% About 15% About 20% About 25% In 2018, retail prescription drug spending accounted for 9.2 percent of total national health spending in the U.S. In comparison, spending on hospitals accounted for 32.7% of total national health expenditures, and spending on physicians and clinics accounted for 19.9%.

5 A lawsuit currently in the courts seeks to overturn the entire Affordable Care Act. Which of the following statements is true? The Trump Administration supports the lawsuit and argues that nearly all of the Affordable Care Act, including protections for people with pre-existing conditions, should be overturned The Trump Administration supports the lawsuit but would retain all protections for people with pre-existing conditions The Trump Administration argues that nearly all of the ACA should be overturned because the individual mandate is no longer constitutional. The Trump Administration argues that the ACA’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions should be struck down along with the individual mandate. The Administration argues that these provisions cannot function effectively without the individual mandate.

6 Which of the following Democratic presidential candidates has a proposal to give Americans an option to choose coverage under a public plan (“public option”) or keep their private insurance? Elizabeth Warren Pete Buttigieg Joe Biden Amy Klobuchar Tom Steyer Mike Bloomberg All of the above All of the above Democratic presidential candidates have either introduced or support proposals that would give Americans an option to choose coverage under a public plan, unless they prefer to keep their private insurance.

7 Who was the first Member of Congress or Senator to introduce a bill that had “Medicare for All” in the title? Senator Ted Kennedy Congressman John Dingell Congressman John Conyers Senator Bernie Sanders Congressman John Conyers was the first Member of Congress or Senator to introduce a bill to provide universal coverage that had Medicare for all in the title, called: The United States National Health Insurance Act (or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act) on February 11, 2003. Three years later, in 2006, Senator Kennedy and Congressman John Dingell together introduced a bill called the Medicare for All Act. Senator Bernie Sanders first introduced a bill to create Medicare-for-all in 2017. While Congressman John Conyers was the first to use “Medicare-for-all” in the short title, others proposed a similar approach in prior Congresses, but with a different name.

8 Under the Sanders’ Medicare-for-all bill, which of the following statements is correct? The current Medicare and Medicaid programs would continue to provide the same coverage that they offer today There would be no deductibles and copays, except for up to $200 in copays for prescription drugs People would have the option of keeping their current employer coverage if they prefer it Doctors and hospitals would be required to be paid current Medicare rates All of the above Under the bill that Bernie Sanders introduced that would create a Medicare-for-all program, there would be no deductibles and copays, except for up to $200 for prescription drugs to encourage use of lower-cost generic drugs.

9 True or False: All of the leading Democratic presidential candidates support a proposal to give the government authority to negotiate prescription drug prices. True False All of the major democratic presidential candidates support allowing the government to negotiate drug prices.

10 All of the major Democratic presidential candidates support doing away with the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funding for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or if the pregnancy is a threat to the health of the pregnant person. How many states currently permit use of state funds to cover abortion services in circumstances other than the Hyde restrictions under their Medicaid program? All states 6 states 16 states 36 states In 16 states, non-federal state funds are used to pay for abortions in other circumstances for women on Medicaid. 33 states and the District of Columbia follow the Hyde Restrictions, and one state is more restrictive than the federal standard.