Viewpoint: Will 'Medicare for All' affect 401(k) investments?

It is too early to tell how a "Medicare for All" policy could affect healthcare stocks and, in turn, 401(k)s, the founder and executive chairman of Fisher Investments wrote in an op-ed for USA Today.

Fisher Investments' Ken Fisher said that while uncertainty surrounding the election may slow stock gains, the bull market moves upward regardless of campaign promises.

Should a Medicare for All policy be passed, Mr. Fisher said health insurance and hospital stocks would likely take a hit. Medical devicemakers and drug companies could also suffer, though Mr. Fisher notes they are more insulated. Volatility in the stocks could even be sparked due to a debate, according to the op-ed.

However, Mr. Fisher said 401(k) investors should not start weighing the election's outcome so early, as healthcare changes take a long time to take effect, if there is any effect.

"You shouldn't start weighing any election's outcome and market impact until the summer before the vote," he wrote. "We need presumptive nominees and relatively defined, state-specific, head-to-head details. We need a clearer sense of how the economy will look. And will Democrats choose an appealing campaign strategy for Midwesterners who swung 2016 to President Donald Trump?"

Read the full op-ed here.

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