Capitol Hill

Washington, DC — Today, the Senate Finance Committee voted to advance the nomination of President Biden’s highly qualified pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra. Becerra has decades of experience and was instrumental in the passage of the Affordable Care Act when he served in the House. As California’s attorney general, Becerra also led the charge to protect Americans’ health care against constant, baseless Republican attacks. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:

“Xavier Becerra has proven he is uniquely qualified to serve as HHS Secretary. Becerra was an architect of the ACA, and he has been a staunch defender of the health care law as California’s attorney general. As the first Latino selected for this role, Becerra’s nomination is historic — especially at a time when our country is battling the coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately impacted communities of color. President Biden needs his health care team in place as soon as possible, and Becerra is ready to hit the ground running on day one to get the pandemic under control, build on the ACA, and protect the health of Americans. The Senate should vote to confirm Becerra immediately.” 

Health Care Provisions in the American Rescue Plan Will Lower Costs and Expand Coverage for Millions

New polling from Public Policy Polling on behalf of Protect Our Care shows that the American Rescue Plan has wide bipartisan support from the American people, even though every member of the House GOP voted against it. As Protect Our Care outlined earlier this week, Republicans are trying to make it more likely for people to get infected with the virus, and less likely to get health care if they do. Much like when Republicans voted to repeal health care in 2017, this vote could haunt them in the months, years, and elections to come. 

Alongside direct checks, money for vaccines, and other critical provisions, this bill includes the most significant reforms to health care in the United States in a decade. This legislation will lower premiums for people purchasing coverage through the ACA marketplaces and expand access to financial assistance for more middle-class families. Additionally, the American Rescue Plan includes robust financial incentives for the 14 states that have not yet implemented Medicaid expansion. The health provisions in the American Rescue Plan will lower costs and expand coverage for millions at a time when access to health care is paramount.

Here’s what the headlines are saying about this expansion:

NBC News: Obamacare Would Get a Big (and Quiet) Overhaul in the COVID Relief Bill. “The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that passed the House on Saturday would make one of the biggest changes to the Affordable Care Act in over a decade, and it could set the stage for a broader overhaul of the health care program — but don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard much about it. ” [NBC News, 3/2/21]

CNBC: The $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Bill Would Make Health Insurance More Affordable for Millions. “The $1.9 trillion Covid stimulus package that’s expected to clear the House of Representatives on Friday includes several provisions that aim to make health care more affordable for households. They include: increasing premium subsidies (technically tax credits) through the federal marketplace and state exchanges for 2021 and 2022, expanding who qualifies for them and forgiving amounts due by taxpayers who received too much in subsidies in 2020 (and minimizing that issue for 2021).” [CNBC, 2/26/21] 

Vox: The Covid-19 Relief Bill Is Also an Obamacare Expansion Bill. “The Covid-19 relief package proposed by President Joe Biden and being considered by Democrats in Congress could expand health care coverage to millions of people, the most significant step in the last 10 years toward patching up some of the holes in the Affordable Care Act.” [Vox, 2/17/21] 

USA Today: Biden’s COVID-19 Relief Bill Includes an Expansion of Obamacare. Here’s How It Would Work.“That potential boost in insurance help for millions of people would be the first significant expansion of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, since its 2010 passage. The Senate this week is taking up the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package and Democrats hope it could be sent to Biden’s desk for his signature as early as next week.” [USA Today, 3/2/21] 

Washington Post: Affordable Care Act Subsidies Likely to Increase Under Congressional Plan. “The expansion of federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans, stretching to reach people who are in the middle class or unemployed, is woven into a proposal the House Ways and Means Committee is expected to approve by the end of this week. The proposal also would raise ACA insurance subsidies for consumers already eligible for that help. The ideas have been adopted in the past year by the Democratic-led House but had no chance of becoming reality until the Senate and the White House shifted last month into Democratic hands.” [Washington Post, 2/10/21] 

New York Times: At Last, Democrats Get Chance to Engineer Obamacare 2.0. “But Republicans united against the law and, for the next decade, blocked nearly all efforts to buttress it or to make the kinds of technical corrections that are common in the years after a major piece of legislation. Now the Biden administration and a Democratic Congress hope to engineer the first major repair job and expansion of the Affordable Care Act since its passage. They plan to refashion regulations and spend billions through the stimulus bill to make Obamacare simpler, more generous and closer to what many of its architects wanted in the first place.” [New York Times, 2/27/21] 

Washington Post: The Health 202: Democrats Are Using Their Coronavirus Relief Package to Try Expanding Health Coverage.  “Legislation from the House Energy and Commerce Committee offers the dozen states that haven’t expanded their Medicaid programs under Obamacare a fresh new incentive to do so. Under the proposal released late last night, the federal government would cover an extra 5 percent of costs for all of their Medicaid enrollees – not just the expansion population – if states agreed to expand the program. The extra contributions would last two years.” [Washington Post, 2/10/21]

New York Times: Broad Coalition of Health Industry Groups Calls for Obamacare Expansion. “The coalition is composed of eight powerful industry groups, including America’s Health Insurance Plans, the American Medical Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It released a detailed set of proposals on Wednesday morning, including an increase in the federal subsidies available to help people afford coverage and a three-year re-establishment of the generous match in federal funding to states to entice more of them to expand their Medicaid programs. The coalition also urged the government to spend more money on enrolling people in plans offered by the insurance markets established under the law, efforts that were slashed by the previous administration.” [New York Times, 2/10/21] 

Politico: Democrats Push Temporary Obamacare Expansion in Covid Bill. “Pieces of the Covid-19 relief package House Democrats released Monday night include the first major expansion of Affordable Care Act subsidies in more than a decade — a key plank of President Joe Biden’s health care agenda that they hope to pass in the coming weeks. Democrats are hoping that the beefed up subsidies, combined with Biden’s recent executive order to reopen the ACA’s markets and advertise heavily to entice people to enroll, will make a major dent in the ranks of uninsured Americans that have grown during the pandemic and ensuing economic recession.” [Politico, 2/8/21] 

The Hill: House Dems’ COVID-19 Relief Bill Includes 2-Year Boost to ObamaCare Subsidies. “House Democrats’ coronavirus relief legislation released Monday would increase the Affordable Care Act’s financial assistance for two years, providing greater help for enrollees’ to afford their premiums…Increasing ObamaCare’s financial assistance to make premiums more affordable has been a major Democratic goal for years, viewed as an improvement to the original ACA, but has been blocked by Republicans who oppose spending more money on a health care law they oppose.” [The Hill, 2/8/21] 

Axios: Democrats Eye Big ACA Changes in COVID Relief Bill. “Democrats’ coronavirus relief proposal includes major changes to the Affordable Care Act, aiming to make health insurance more affordable for the millions of people who have lost their employer-based coverage during the pandemic.” [Axios, 2/10/21] 

New York Times: One Sentence in Biden Stimulus Plan Reveals His Health Care Approach. “Now, control of the White House and a slim majority in Congress mean the first real prospect of significantly strengthening Obamacare since it became law in 2010. President-elect Biden’s inclusion of policies to shore up the health law in his first major legislative package has raised those hopes further.” [New York Times, 1/16/21]

Read the full report here.

Washington, DC — As part of Black History Month, Protect Our Care is releasing a new report showing expanding the Affordable Care Act will help Black communities recover from the pandemic and address longstanding racial disparities in health care. The report comes as the House is poised to pass the American Rescue Plan, which includes desperately needed pandemic relief and builds on the Affordable Care Act with historic provisions to lower health care costs, expand coverage, and incentivize holdout states to expand Medicaid. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“This report shows just how critical the American Rescue Plan is in working to eliminate racial inequities. Black people face systemic barriers to care and are overrepresented in the jobs that are on the front lines of battling the virus Black Americans are more likely to get sick and 1.4 times more likely to die from the virus. In addition to taking bold action to end the pandemic,  restart our economy and get working families back on their feet, the American Rescue Plan includes critical health care provisions to expand coverage and lower costs while addressing stark racial disparities in health care that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. That’s why it’s so important to pass the American Rescue Plan.”

Support for Xavier Becerra’s nomination as Health and Human Services Secretary continues to roll in from the medical community. In addition to groups previously highlighted by POC, additional health care organizations have thrown their support behind Becerra, President Biden’s pick to lead HHS, ahead of his nomination hearings in the Senate HELP and Finance Committees this week. Becerra’s decades of health care experience and commitment to fighting for affordable health care for all have earned him the support of the medical community and make him an ideal pick to lead Americans through this pandemic. 

Alliance for Retired Americans: “Mr. Becerra has also been an active and effective advocate for lowering drug prices. Seniors proportionately spend more than other age groups on prescription drugs. His work has positively affected the economic and health security of our members. He and a bipartisan group of state Attorneys General have sued to hold drug corporations responsible for their role in the opioid epidemic. Mr. Becerra was also instrumental in the passage of legislation in California to stop pay-for-delay kickbacks that keep many drug prices artificially high and a leader in the battle to uphold the Affordable Care Act and protect the health care coverage of millions of patients.” (Full statement)

American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry: “Mr. Becerra has a strong track record and a depth of experience in formulating and implementing policies and programs to address the crisis of opioid addiction… As Attorney General, Mr. Becerra has also promoted regulations to protect patient data while also ensuring the data can be used appropriately to protect against the diversion and abuse of prescription drugs.” (Full statement)

American Academy of Family Physicians: “Mr. Becerra has long been a champion of ensuring all Americans have access to high-quality, affordable health care. As a member of Congress, Representative Becerra helped to pass the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and eliminate the flawed Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate. As Attorney General of California, he defended the ACA against legal challenges in the case of Texas v. United States.” (Full statement)

America’s Essential Hospitals: “Becerra has spent his career defending key programs of importance to essential hospitals and their communities, including Medicare and Medicaid. Most recently, in his role as attorney general of California, Becerra defended the 340B Drug Pricing Program and championed important protections for immigrant communities.” (Full statement)

American Kidney Fund: “HHS is one of the largest and most important federal agencies – especially now, during the deadly COVID-19 pandemic – and Mr. Becerra’s experience as both a legislator and an executive give him the needed expertise to lead during this crucial time. People with kidney disease need a strong leader at HHS now more than ever.” (Full statement)

American Nurses Association: “As California Attorney General, Mr. Becerra has defended the Affordable Care Act and essential health benefits. He fought against hospital consolidation and short-term junk insurance plans which make health care more expensive for consumers. His experience running the Department of Justice in America’s largest state instills confidence that he is very capable of running one of the largest government agencies in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.” (Full statement)

Association of American Medical Colleges: “Secretary-designate Becerra’s leadership experience – such as the efforts to protect patients’ access to health care and establish health equity initiatives that he led during his tenure as Attorney General of the State of California – will be an asset in this role. He also brings health policy expertise from his experience on the House Committee on Ways and Means where he championed affordable, comprehensive health care coverage for patients.” (Full statement)

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: “As the Attorney General of California, Mr. Becerra has demonstrated leadership in protecting kids from tobacco. Recognizing that youth are particularly vulnerable to nicotine use and addiction, he worked to protect kids from e-cigarette marketing and tobacco imagery in streamed video content. He also supported California’s new law ending the sale of flavored tobacco products, which are a key driver of youth tobacco use.” (Full statement)

Campaign for Sustainable Prescription Drug Pricing: “While in Congress, then-Representative Becerra worked diligently to enact to make health care more affordable and later, as Attorney General of California, continued that work. As part of his determined efforts on behalf of consumers, Attorney General Becerra has taken important actions to thwart egregious anti-competitive activity by the pharmaceutical industry aimed at protecting monopolies and keeping prescription drug prices needlessly high and unaffordable for far too many U.S. patients and their families. (Full statement)

Cancer Support Community: “Throughout his career, Mr. Becerra has always put patients first, including those impacted by cancer. Mr. Becerra was a proud co-sponsor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and actively worked to pass this landmark legislation. As a member of Congress, he steadfastly fought to protect and preserve the ACA by voting at least nine times against efforts to repeal and replace the law. He also sponsored the E-Centives Act, which provided incentives for Medicaid providers to improve quality of care by implementing electronic health records.” (Full statement)

Casa De Esperanza: “Mr. Becerra is a deeply qualified and passionate leader with a depth and breadth of experience that spans three decades of working to address violence against women and support survivors, ensure access to healthcare, and protect Social Security and Medicare. In May of 2020, as California Attorney General, Xavier Becerra called for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, stating that “[t]here’s no place for violence against women anywhere.” (Full statement)

Center for Medicare Advocacy: “Mr. Becerra has been a champion of expanding access to health care, from his time in Congress to his most recent role as California’s Attorney General. During his twelve terms in Congress, including while serving on the House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee, Mr. Becerra worked to improve the Medicare program as well as health care access more broadly.” (Full statement)

Futures Without Violence: “Xavier Becerra is a highly qualified and passionate leader with demonstrated depth and breadth of experience spanning three decades. As Attorney General of California, he joined with Attorneys General from across the country in 2018 and 2020 to advocate for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. His defense of the Affordable Care Act has meant essential health care access and coverage for many previously uninsured people, including those experiencing sexual and domestic violence.” (Full statement)

Leading Age: “We support the nomination of Secretary-Nominee Becerra to be the next HHS Secretary to advocate for and carry out the robust health care platform outlined by President Joe Biden. We have confidence that he has the health care expertise and experience managing large systems that are critical to successfully leading HHS and that he will work with Congress to take quick action…” (Full statement)

Mental Health America: “As a member of Congress, he sponsored and supported legislation that has proven essential on the journey to health equity for all our people, including those affected by mental illnesses. As the Attorney General of California, his efforts in support of enforcing mental health parity, for example, are well-known and critically important.” (Full statement)

National Alliance on Mental Illness: “Attorney General Becerra has been a true leader on mental health and addiction issues, tirelessly defending the ACA and working to enforce federal & state mental health parity laws. As California’s Attorney General he led efforts on the part of states to challenge measures taken by the previous Administration to undermine a series of patient protections in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Under his leadership, California also stepped up enforcement and compliance with respect to the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) ensuring more equitable coverage of mental illness treatment.” (Full statement)

National Alliance to End Sexual Violence: “Xavier Becerra is a demonstrated leader who brings decades of health policy experience addressing violence against women and support services, ensuring access to healthcare, and protecting Social Security and Medicare. His long history of defending and protecting the Affordable Care Act has provided essential health care access and coverage for many previously uninsured people, including those experiencing sexual violence and trauma.” (Full statement)

National Association of Community Health Centers: “Attorney General Becerra has a long-established relationship with California health centers and NACHC. As a former Member of Congress from Los Angeles, and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, he consistently sought feedback from local health center leadership through roundtable events and regular communications with the Los Angeles Community Clinic Consortium.” (Full statement)

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: “Becerra has a proven record of fighting for access to healthcare for all Americans. This includes leading the legal campaign to prevent the Affordable Care Act from being dismantled, thereby protecting millions of survivors’ access to healthcare.” (Full statement)

National Council on Aging: “While playing a leadership role in providing health coverage to millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans under the Affordable Care Act and championing improvements to women’s health, he also authored Medicare proposals focused on improving care for beneficiaries in need… NCOA had the privilege of working closely with then-Rep. Becerra and his staff on legislation he introduced in 2007 and 2009 to make health care more affordable for low-income Medicare beneficiaries whose fixed incomes made it difficult to afford rising health care costs.” (Full statement)

National Organization of Rare Disorders: “Attorney General Becerra has spent a career in both Washington and California advancing policies that have improved access to affordable and comprehensive health care…We are confident that his experience will enable to him to effectively lead HHS and support the implementation of policies that can help address pressing health needs of the rare disease community.” (Full statement)

Senate HELP and Finance Committees Will Hold Confirmation Hearings for Secretary-designate Xavier Becerra This Week

President Biden’s historic pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, California Attorney General  Xavier Becerra, has decades of experience protecting health care access, reducing the cost of prescription drugs, and has worked to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. If confirmed, Becerra will be a strong advocate for health care.

Secretary-designate Becerra is an experienced litigator who is more than capable of protecting health care access and affordability. As California’s attorney general, Becerra was instrumental in filing over 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration, including leading the fight in Texas v. California, another attempt by Republicans to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Becerra also worked with 11 state attorneys general to protect consumers against so-called junk health care plans that evade ACA basic coverage requirements. In 2014, when House Republicans tried to stop cost sharing reduction payments, Becerra intervened on behalf of consumers and helped to reach a settlement. After the Trump administration targeted immigrant families who rely on health safety net programs with the “Public Charge” rule, Becerra led a coalition of attorneys general who successfully won a preliminary injunction against the rule. 

Secretary-designate Becerra is also an experienced legislator. Before Becerra was attorney general of California, he spent 24 years in the House of Representatives including time at the Ways and Means Committee health subcommittee,where he worked tirelessly to protect Medicare and Social Security. There, he was an original co-sponsor of the Affordable Care Act which has extended coverage to more than 20 million Americans and protections for 135 million people with pre-existing conditions. Becerra helped draft the bipartisan Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act), which directed the HHS Secretary to study the impact of socioeconomic status on Medicaid’s value-based programs. Becerra is also an experienced dealmaker who has worked to resolve legislative conflicts. During ACA negotiations, Becerra was essential in resolving a conflict between members with urban and rural districts and won the confidence of both sides by ensuring a funding model that relied on facts and science.

Secretary-designate Becerra has fought for affordable and accessible prescription drug prices during his career. As attorney general, he led the defense of California’s law that bans “pay for delay” agreements that keep generic versions of medications off of the market. As part of this defense, Becerra was able to secure $70 million in agreements against pharmaceutical companies He led a bipartisan group of attorneys general to force major drug manufacturers to follow the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which provides drug discounts to low income and uninsured groups. As a member of the House, Becerra launched a House Affordable Drug Pricing Task Force in 2016, which sought to address the rising costs of prescription drugs. Becerra is unafraid to stand up to drug manufacturers, having secured a $10 million agreement with the pharmaceutical companies Royal Pharmaceuticals and Seton Pharmaceuticals after a reporting error led to the underpayment of Medicaid drug rebates. Becerra will be able to work to ensure that pharmaceutical drugs are affordable and accessible. 

Secretary-designate Becerra is also the right fit for this position at a time when HHS needs a strong leader who will work with the entirety of the government to put an end to the pandemic. From the beginning of the pandemic, Becerra urged former President Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to provide sufficient PPE. In the midst of the pandemic, Becerra joined other attorneys general in calling on CMS Administrator Seema Verma to increase transparency and accountability from nursing homes. As a result, CMS issued interim rules that required nursing homes to inform family members about COVID-19 infections and ensured that federal health agencies received data on any cases. Becerra also led the fight to ensure that potentially-lifesaving drugs to combat COVID-19 were available to those that need them.

In the middle of a pandemic that has killed 500,000 Americans, needlessly delaying this confirmation process continues to put more lives at risk. President Biden has already taken bold action to combat the pandemic, but he cannot go it alone, and he needs to have a Senate-confirmed HHS Secretary to work to end the pandemic.

Xavier Becerra Has the Experience and Qualifications Needed to Be Secretary of HHS:

Expanding Access To Care & Lowering Costs

• Becerra was an original co-sponsor of the Affordable Care Act and helped write the portion of the ACA that addresses Medicare benefits and reimbursements. 
• Becerra served in Congress for 24 years and was the first Latino to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee where he tirelessly worked to protect Medicare and Social Security.
• Starting in 2007, Becerra was the lead sponsor of the Medicare Savings Programs Improvement Act. The bill expanded cost-sharing subsidies for low-income seniors who receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits by increasing the amount of resources they could receive and making assistance available to more seniors who need medical care, but can’t afford it. Portions of Becerra’s legislation were included in legislation passed by the House in 2008 and 2015. 
• Becerra sponsored legislation to raise the cap on benefits for patients receiving Medicare physical therapy. 
• In 2009, Becerra sponsored the E-Centives Act, which provided incentives for Medicaid providers to improve care by implementing electronic health records. A version of Becerra’s bill was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 
• Becerra helped draft the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act (IMPACT) of 2014, requiring the HHS Secretary to conduct research on issues related to socioeconomic status in Medicare’s value-based programs.
• During negotiations over the ACA, Speaker Pelosi asked Becerra to resolve a dispute between a group of members of Congress representing rural areas and members ailing from large urban areas about the fairness of Medicare payments.  Becerra secured their confidence in how the ACA would handle Medicare payments by assuring them that Congress would rely on the facts and science to determine payments long-term and he secured short-term relief for states with Medicare per enrollment spending (states that represented more rural areas) — an additional $400 million for their communities, each year for two consecutive years.
• As California Attorney General, Becerra worked with the state senate on legislation that would make healthcare more affordable and accessible by cracking down on anticompetitive behavior and consolidation in the healthcare market. The bill required the Attorney General’s Office to review and approve affiliations or acquisitions between healthcare systems, facilities, or provider groups to ensure transactions either improve care coordination or increase healthcare access for underserved populations. 
• As California Attorney General, Becerra took on Sutter Health, the largest hospital system in northern California, reaching a $575 million settlement for anti-competitive behavior and price gouging charges.

Fighting to Protect the Affordable Care Act

• In the House, Becerra fought back against multiple attempts to repeal and sabotage the Affordable Care Act, voting at least nine times against efforts to fully repeal or defund the law. Becerra stood up to protect the law and its achievements, which he said he was “very proud” of. 
• Becerra has been a stalwart legal defender of the Affordable Care Act, taking on at least four cases to protect the law: 
  • Becerra has led the 20+ state coalition of attorneys general fighting to protect the Affordable Care Act from the Republican effort to repeal the entire law via the California v. Texas lawsuit. The case was heard at the Supreme Court on November 10, 2020. 
  • Becerra joined a coalition of attorneys general filing a lawsuit in opposition to the Trump administration’s expansion of Association Health Plans that offer junk insurance that doesn’t have to comply with ACA coverage requirements and protections. 
  • Becerra intervened in House v. Hargan, a lawsuit filed by Republicans seeking to eliminate cost sharing reduction payments and undercut the affordability of the ACA’s health plans. He then led a multi-state coalition in California v. Trump suing the administration over its decision to stop making CSR payments as required by the ACA. 

• Becerra led a coalition of attorneys general who successfully secured a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s “Public Charge” rule, which targeted immigrant families who often rely on health safety net programs. 

Reducing Drug Prices

• Becerra led the defense of California’s law banning collusive “pay for delay” pharmaceutical agreements that delay generic drugs from entering the market and keep costs high. Becerra secured nearly $70 million in settlements against drug companies for entering these “pay for delay” agreements. 
• Becerra launched a House Affordable Drug Pricing Task Force in 2016 to address the rising costs of prescription drugs. 
• Becerra led a bipartisan coalition to protect the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which provides drug discounts to low-income and uninsured populations. 
• Becerra helped secure a $10 million settlement with two pharmaceutical companies, Royal Pharmaceuticals and Seton Pharmaceuticals, after a reporting error led to the underpayment of Medicaid drug rebates.

Fighting The Covid-19 Pandemic

• Becerra led a bipartisan multi-state coalition to urge the federal government to take action to increase the supply and affordability of drugs to fight Covid-19.
• Becerra has repeatedly urged President Trump to fully invoke the National Defense Production Act to ensure that Americans have enough PPE. 
• In May 2020, Becerra and other state attorneys general called on CMS Administrator Seema Verma to increase transparency and accountability from nursing homes as Covid-19 continued to spread through Medicare and Medicaid facilities. Following Becerra’s letter, CMS issued interim rules to ensure that nursing homes would quickly notify family members of illness and provide data to federal public health institutions about any cases

Reproductive Rights And Equitable Care

• Becerra sued to overturn the Trump administration’s “Healthcare Refusal Rule,” which jeopardizes health and safety by allowing anyone remotely involved in a healthcare transaction—from doctors to ambulance drivers or front office staff— to deny care on religious or moral objections. 
• Becerra is a stalwart supporter of reproductive freedom. He led a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s rules that would take away access to birth control and defended the Title X Family Planning Program in court, which funds care for more than four million people each year. 

In op-eds across the country, state leaders, including doctors, elected officials, and health care advocates, urged the Senate to move quickly to confirm Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Becerra has decades of experience protecting and expanding health care access, reducing the cost of prescription drugs, and fighting for health care equity. These state leaders make clear that needlessly delaying this confirmation process will put more lives at risk in the middle of a pandemic that has killed nearly 500,000 Americans. President Biden has already taken bold action to combat the pandemic, but he cannot go it alone, and he needs to have a Senate-confirmed HHS Secretary to work to end the pandemic.

ALASKA

Michelle Turner, Alaskan Environmental Scientist: We Need Health Care Leadership Now. “Key to President Biden’s plan to slow the spread of the virus, and rebuild our economy is his appointment of a competent, experienced, diverse team, led by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Xavier Becerra. Mr. Becerra is the right person for the job; it is essential that he be confirmed and assume his duties as soon as possible.” [Midnight Sun, 2/2/21] 

FLORIDA

Dr. Manrique Iriarte, Primary Care Doctor In Miami: To Florida’s Senators — Confirm Xavier Becerra For HHS Secretary To Jump-Start Federal Covid-19 Response. “With more than 400,000 American lives lost to COVID-19, including 24,000 Floridians and millions more out of work, the Joe Biden administration must make up for lost time in tackling the pandemic and rebuilding our nation’s economy. That is why, now more than ever, we need a strong, experienced leader to serve as Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, and Xavier Becerra is the right person for the job. Congress should immediately move to confirm his nomination once it is up for a vote in the Senate — including our two Senators from Florida.” [FloridaPolitics, 1/21/21] 

MAINE

Don Berry, President Of The Maine Chapter Of The Alliance For Retired Americans: Becerra Is The Right Person To Head HHS. Senate Should Confirm Him Quickly. “We have waited long enough for real leadership, and with the virus spreading in Maine and across the country, we cannot wait any longer. The pandemic demands a strong and knowledgeable HHS secretary who can marshal the people and resources to not only contain the spread of the virus, but also ensure a smooth and equitable vaccination distribution program that doesn’t leave communities behind. Xavier Becerra is the right person at the right time and he deserves the support of Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate. To delay his appointment is to prolong our suffering and put millions more Americans’ lives in jeopardy.” [Bangor Daily News, 2/10/21] 

NORTH CAROLINA

David Miner, Former Republican Member Of The NC General Assembly: Xavier Becerra’s Leadership At HHS Will Jumpstart Federal Covid-19 Response. “Throughout his career, Xavier Becerra has been on the frontlines fighting to expand access to affordable care and protect underserved communities. As a member of Congress, Becerra was an original co-sponsor of the Affordable Care Act, and a staunch defender of Medicare and Medicaid.” [BlueNC, 1/26/21] 

OHIO

Franklin Co. Commissioner John Grady: Confirm Becerra For HHS To Defend Health Care. “President Joe Biden has smartly selected Xavier Becerra, the ACA’s defender-in-chief, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.  For the past four years, Americans have watched the Trump administration repeatedly and relentlessly attack the ACA — even amidst a national public health emergency. Congress now must confirm a health care champion as Secretary of HHS.” [Columbus Dispatch, 2/3/21] 

Doni Miller, CEO Of Neighborhood Health Association: Becerra’s Leadership Will Jumpstart U.S. Coronavirus Response. “In his 24 years in Congress, Mr. Becerra worked across the aisle to get things done, prioritizing the health and safety of his community over partisan differences. As HHS Secretary, Mr. Becerra will ‘hit the reset’ experts are call-ing for to revitalize our country’s vaccine rollout.” [Toledo Blade, 1/29/21] 

WISCONSIN

Dr. Joanna Bisgrove And Dr. Jeff Huener, Family Physicians: Wisconsinites Can’t Wait: Confirm The Next Secretary Of Health And Human Services ASAP. “As the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden crafts plans to get the pandemic under control, they will also have to contend with the forthcoming decision in the U.S. Supreme Court to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Given the enormity of these twin challenges facing the U.S. health care system, the nomination of Xavier Becerra, the ACA’s defender-in-chief, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is a superb choice.” [Wisconsin Examiner, 1/19/21] 

Jocasta Zamarripa, Milwaukee Alderwoman And First Latina Elected To The Wisconsin Legislature: We Need Andrea Palm and Xavier Becerra in Biden’s Health and Human Services. “Becerra’s nomination demonstrates the seriousness with which President Biden has been working to develop a comprehensive plan to get the virus under control, so that we can rebuild our economy quickly. As a former member of Congress who led the fight to expand health care and who has been fiercely defending in court every American’s ability to access that care, Becerra is uniquely qualified to serve as Health and Human Services Secretary. [UpNorthNews, 2/21/21]