Biden expands ‘Obamacare’
COLUMBUS, OHIO » President Joe Biden pledged Tuesday that his $1.9 trillion rescue package would build on the promise of the Affordable Care Act, the hallmark legislation of Barack Obama’s presidency that became law 11 years ago.
Biden’s COVID-19 relief law pumps up “Obamacare” premium subsidies to address longstanding problems of affordability, particularly for people with middle-class incomes. More taxpayer assistance means, in effect, that consumers who buy their own policies through HealthCare.gov will pay hundreds of dollars less out of their own pockets.
“We have a duty not just to protect it, but to make it better and keep becoming a nation where health care is a right for all, not a privilege for a few,” Biden said at the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “Millions of families will be able to sleep a little more soundly at night because they don’t have to worry about losing everything if they get sick.”
Biden’s speech in the capital of a political battleground state is part of a miniblitz by the White House to highlight the relief package. Newly minted Health Secretary Xavier Becerra will echo Biden’s comments Tuesday in Carson City, Nevada, and join a Florida-themed Zoom event. Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff will pitch the aid in Omaha, Nebraska.
Yet events interrupted the push, as Biden needed to also address a mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado, that left 10 people dead. He spoke about the shooting and need for background checks before leaving for Ohio. And while touring a cancer center in Columbus, Biden was asked if he had the political capital to move forward on new gun control measures.
“I hope so,” said Biden, crossing his fingers. “I don’t know. I haven’t done any counting yet.”
On health care, the numbers suggest that consumers’ fears about medical costs could be eased by the new rescue package.
The COVID-19 legislation cuts premiums paid by a hypothetical 64-year-old making $58,000 from $1,075 a month to about $413, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates. A 45-year-old making $19,300 would pay zero in premiums as compared with about $67 on average before the law. People who have even a brief spell of unemployment this year can get a standard plan for zero premium and reduced copays and deductibles.