The supposed paradox of health in the 2016 American elections: paths for fighting for social rights

Abstract

The paper seeks to analyze the reasons for the supposed paradox in the US elections in 2016 about  concerning the right to health. While opinion polls  pointed out that most Americans were in favor of a  universal system funded by a single-payer, the state,  the American population elected Donald Trump, who  promised during his campaign to end the so-called  Obamacare (Affortable Care Act). The aim of this  paper is to analyze the 2016 US elections in relation  to the debate about the right to health, highlighting  the significance of the three main candidates, Hillary  Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. We use  digital newspapers, articulating the campaign  narratives of the candidates with relevant news  regarding Obamacare and the right to health. The  results indicate that despite the popularity of Sanders, who defends the universal right to health, the  Democratic Party and its corporate wing supported  Hillary because of her ties to big capital. With this, a  new ultranationalist, populist right has seized power,  and threatens to bring a form of American  protofascism to the political stage, in which there is a  setback in the struggle for social rights, including the  right to health.