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2024 presidential candidates on Medicare
This page includes statements from the 2024 presidential candidates on Medicare. These statements were compiled from each candidate's official campaign website, editorials, speeches, and debates.
The candidates featured on this page were the noteworthy Democratic and Republican candidates in the 2024 presidential election. Only candidates who addressed this page's issue on their campaign website, in public statements, or in public speeches have a quote featured on this page. See something we missed? Email us. The active noteworthy presidential candidates as of November 5, 2025, were:
Medicare
Democratic candidates
Joe Biden
In a campaign speech Biden said, "I’ve been fighting for decades taking on Big Pharma — God, that was a nice win — to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. And finally, Kamala and I got it done. Seniors on Medicare who were paying as much as 400 bucks a month for insulin are now paying $35 a month. And it only costs them 12 bucks to make it and package it, by the way. We’re also capping total out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare at $2,000 a year, even if expensive cancer drugs are needed that cost $10-, $12-, $14,000 a year." [source, as of 2023-11-15]
Kamala D. Harris
Harris' campaign website said, "Vice President Harris will protect Social Security and Medicare against relentless attacks from Donald Trump and his extreme allies. She will strengthen Social Security and Medicare for the long haul by making millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share in taxes. She will always fight to ensure that Americans can count on getting the benefits they earned." [source, as of 2024-09-09]
Dean Phillips
Phillips' campaign website said, "Dean understands that we must work in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that the elements of a secure retirement are protected, including Social Security and Medicare. That is why he has supported Congressional action to create commissions that would provide recommendations for balanced action to make these federal programs solvent into the future, while also acknowledging the need to enhance benefits for retirees." [source, as of 2023-12-19]
Republican candidates
Ryan Binkley
Binkley's campaign website said, “we must enact comprehensive health care reform; we can’t balance the budget without getting health care costs under control. To begin, I will freeze Medicare and Medicaid spending, and then end the monopolies on insurance exchanges, health care providers, and Big Pharma.” [source, as of 2023-12-19]
Nikki Haley
In an op-ed Haley wrote, "If we do nothing, Social Security will face cuts in 10 years and Medicare in eight. I will keep these programs the same for anyone who’s in or nearing retirement. To protect these programs for the next generation, I’ll limit benefits for wealthy people, raise the retirement age for younger people just entering the system, expand Medicare Advantage and increase competition." [source, as of 2023-09-25]
Asa Hutchinson
Hutchinson listed the following policy on his campaign website, "Establish a Commission for the Future of Medicare and Social Security, through executive order and with Congressional support. These two funds are in jeopardy of going bankrupt within the next decade. This commission will make recommendations to Congress to assure the programs for our citizens and make necessary reforms to protect them for future generations. My commitment is to safeguard the interests of our senior citizens and secure the long-term sustainability of these vital programs." [source, as of 2023-12-21]
Donald Trump
Trump's campaign website said, "Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security. Republicans shouldn’t punish seniors to fund Biden’s spending spree. Biden has blown out the federal budget and wasted trillions of dollars. While we must stop Biden’s out-of-control spending, bureaucrats in Washington should feel the pain, not hard-working Americans." [source, as of 2023-12-21]
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Footnotes