News

On the 12th day of repeal, the GOP took from me: no more caps on coverage.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has banned insurers from setting annual and lifetime limits on health coverage on 179 million privately insured Americans. Before the implementation of the ACA in 2009, nearly 6 in 10 covered workers’ employer-sponsored health plans had a lifetime limit, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act means insurance companies would be able to impose annual and lifetime limits on coverage for those insured through their employer or on the individual market. For example, without the ACA, a 40-year-old patient with cancer would face a premium surcharge of anywhere between $30,000 to $140,000. And without the ban on annual and lifetime caps, the cancer patient – whose costs for treatment average about $150,000 – could quickly reach their plan’s limit and face the devastating choice of continuing treatment or facing financial ruin. 

Read More:

The MAGA Republican War on American Health Care

As Savings Soar Ahead of First Anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans Threaten Repeal

Trump Vows to “Never Give Up” MAGA-Republican Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act, Ripping Health Care Away From Millions

On the 11th day of repeal, the GOP took from me: tax credit expansion.

The Inflation Reduction Act expanded premium tax credits, reducing or eliminating out-of-pocket premiums for millions of people and saving Americans an average of over $800 per year. Right now, 80% of consumers can find coverage through the Marketplace for $10 or less. Keeping premiums low for more households than ever before allows them to re-enroll in the coverage they need and avoid becoming uninsured. It also allows them to put those savings to use in other important areas, such as putting food on the table or paying rent, for years to come.

With Republicans in control of the House of Representatives, they have attacked the Inflation Reduction Act and threatened to repeal all of its savings. These attacks have continued as Republicans elected Mike Johnson (R-LA) as Speaker of the House. Johnson has a radical health care record with repeated votes against affordable, accessible health care.

Read More:

The MAGA Republican War on American Health Care

As Savings Soar Ahead of First Anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans Threaten Repeal

Trump Vows to “Never Give Up” MAGA-Republican Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act, Ripping Health Care Away From Millions

In Recent Weeks, Trump Pledged Six Times to Repeal the ACA as Record Numbers of Americans Rely on the Health Care Law  

Washington, D.C. — Today, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that a record 15.3 million Americans have signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces, and millions more are expected to enroll in coverage before the January 15 deadline. This represents a 33 percent increase from the same time last year. HHS projects that more than 19 million consumers will enroll in 2024 coverage through the ACA — more than 7 million more than when President Biden took office. The Biden administration has done everything in its power to get the word out about affordable coverage, with historic investments in outreach to rural Americans, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities. Eighty percent of people can now find coverage through the Marketplace for $10 or less per month. The 2023 open enrollment period is set to end at midnight on January 16, so families still have time to find an affordable plan. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:

“President Biden and Democrats in Congress have made incredible progress to ensure millions more Americans have the health care they deserve, giving them peace of mind knowing they can go to the doctor without sacrificing other necessities like food, gas, and rent. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and his Republican allies have only ramped up their threats to repeal the ACA.  The Republican health care plan of ripping away affordable care, gutting protections for pre-existing conditions, and increasing costs is despicable. With a record number of Americans signing up for coverage, it’s clear that Americans want and need the affordable, quality health care made possible through the ACA.”

On the 10th day of repeal, the GOP took from me: record numbers enrolled.

The Biden administration announced that as of December 15, 2023, a record 15.3 million Americans have signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces. This represents a 33 percent increase from the same time last year. HHS projects that more than 19 million consumers will enroll in 2024 coverage through the ACA — more than 7 million more than when President Biden took office.

The record number of sign-ups have been made possible by the historic investments of the Biden administration. Because of premium tax credit expansion, historic investment in the Navigator program, and other initiatives, health care is better and more affordable than ever. 

In recent weeks, since Donald Trump reignited calls to “terminate” the ACA, he has pledged at least six more times to rip away critical benefits and protections from millions across nations. Repealing the ACA would increase the number of uninsured Americans by around 40 million, and Americans of all ages would be impacted by coverage losses.

Read More:

The MAGA Republican War on American Health Care

As Savings Soar Ahead of First Anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans Threaten Repeal

Trump Vows to “Never Give Up” MAGA-Republican Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act, Ripping Health Care Away From Millions

BREAKING: More Than 15 Million Americans Have Signed Up for ACA Coverage, Breaking All Records

In the weeks since Donald Trump reignited calls to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act (ACA), he has repeated his public threats at least seven times. Once again, the likely Republican nominee is running on repeal — even as the health care law is more popular and covers more people than ever before. Repealing the ACA means ripping away protections for the over 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, hiking premium costs for millions of working families, and putting insurance companies back in charge, allowing them to deny basic care like hospital visits and prescription drugs. As a result, tens of millions would lose coverage.

This is not just Trump’s priority, but the goal of the entire Republican party. Republicans like Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), former Governor Nikki Haley (R-SC), and leading GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy (MT) quickly echoed these calls for repeal following Trump’s initial claim that failing to repeal the ACA was a “low point” for the party. The bottom line is that Republicans are not backing down on their mission to destroy the ACA and throw the entire health care system into chaos. 

Read more: The GOP Health Care Plan: It’s Worse Than You Think

1. December 25: “Obamacare is too expensive, and otherwise, not good healthcare. I will come up with a much better, and less expensive, alternative! People will be happy, not sad!” [@RealDonaldTrump Truth Social, 12/25/23]
2. December 17: “We’re also going to fight to give you much better health care. Obamacare is a catastrophe for American families, and it has been for years. Even Elizabeth Warren, did you ever hear of her? Often referred to as Pocahontas because of her great Indian heritage. Did you ever hear of Pocahontas? She said she was an Indian. She got into schools because she was an Indian. She got into schools. Think of it. She got jobs because she said she was an Indian until Trump came along and revealed the truth. But even Pocahontas says that it has to be fixed. She believes it has to be fixed. We’re going to make it much less expensive for people with much better health care, and we’re going to get that done. We almost got it done, but John McCain voted against it. That was a bad day. Remember that? Thumbs down after campaigning for 10 years, thumbs down everybody. Let’s put your thumb down. Campaigned for 10 years on it. And then he put his thumb down. So somebody will explain that to me someday.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Reno, NV, 12/17/23]
3. December 16: “We’re also going to fight to give you much better health care. Obamacare is a catastrophe for all American families.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Durham, NH, 12/16/23]
4. December 2: “Obamacare is a disaster and I said we’re going to do something about it.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Cedar Rapids, IA, 12/2/23]
5. November 29: “I don’t want to terminate Obamacare, I want to REPLACE IT with MUCH BETTER HEALTHCARE. Obamacare Sucks!!!” [@RealDonaldTrump Truth Social, 11/29/23]
6. November 28: “Getting much better Healthcare than Obamacare for the American people will be a priority of the Trump Administration. It is not a matter of cost, it is a matter of HEALTH. America will have one of the best Healthcare Plans anywhere in the world. Right now it has one of the WORST!” [@RealDonaldTrump Truth Social, 11/28/23]
7. November 25: “The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m seriously looking at alternatives. We had a couple of Republican Senators who campaigned for 6 years against it, and then raised their hands not to terminate it. It was a low point for the Republican Party, but we should never give up!” [@RealDonaldTrump Truth Social, 11/25/23]

On the 9th day of repeal, the GOP took from me: FDA approval.

Anti-abortion advocates, represented by a far-right legal organization, have filed a lawsuit before a federal judge in Texas with the sweeping aim of a nationwide ban on mifepristone, which is used for medication abortions. The plaintiffs argue that the FDA’s authorization of the drug over two decades ago was flawed and that the drug which has been used by over 2.5 million women is, in fact, dangerous.

Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the potential to undermine the country’s process for regulating pharmaceuticals. If the plaintiffs in this case are successful, it would open the door to any third party with a political agenda to challenge a medication that they object to. If these plaintiffs can successfully challenge the more than two decades-old approval of this drug, then every group that opposes a drug or vaccine will be able to use the same playbook to bring lawsuits seeking to ban those medications. 

Read More:

The MAGA Republican War on American Health Care

As Savings Soar Ahead of First Anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans Threaten Repeal

Trump Vows to “Never Give Up” MAGA-Republican Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act, Ripping Health Care Away From Millions

Washington, DC – This year, the GOP laid bare their plans for American health care: they are going to fight tooth and nail to raise costs even higher, deny coverage to millions of people, and slash funding for critical programs. This year alone, Republicans have tried to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s measures that make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors, impose burdensome Medicaid paperwork requirements designed to throw people off of coverage, and weaken protections for 135 million people with pre-existing conditions. Just this month, Donald Trump reignited calls to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) entirely, giving new life to Republicans’ longtime war on health care. 

Key points of the GOP health care plan include:

• Repealing the ACA
• Repealing the Inflation Reduction Act
• Hiking drug costs for seniors
• Slashing Medicare and Medicaid funding
• Putting drug and insurance companies back in charge

If Republicans are successful in enacting their health care plan, 40 million Americans across the country risk losing coverage, 15 million will see higher premiums, and 65 million people on Medicare will have to pay increased drug costs for lifesaving medications. 

Read more here: The Endless War: The MAGA Republican War on American Health Care

Washington, D.C. — Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new data brief and informational bulletin to states to ensure eligible children maintain Medicaid and CHIP coverage as states continue to reassess their Medicaid rolls following the end of pandemic-era continuous eligibility requirements. The brief shows that nine states — Texas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Arkansas, South Dakota, Idaho, New Hampshire, and Montana — have overseen the largest enrollment declines among children. Secretary Becerra sent letters to these states urging officials to take swift action to ensure children stay insured. 

Data suggests that the vast majority of people losing coverage are a result of procedural issues: nothing more than missing paperwork. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“Protecting quality, affordable health care remains front and center for the Biden administration. It is unacceptable for children and families to lose Medicaid coverage because states aren’t doing enough to ensure people retain the coverage they rely on. It’s no surprise that many of the states that are failing to keep people covered, like Georgia, Texas, and Florida, are the same ones that have rejected Medicaid expansion, leaving families with no place to turn for basic health care. These states need to use the resources provided by the Biden administration to ensure people who qualify for Medicaid are not being kicked off, period.” 

Background:

Biden Administration Previously Reinstated Coverage For 500,000 People. In September, the administration announced that nearly 500,000 children and adults who were improperly disenrolled from Medicaid and CHIP would regain their coverage. This followed CMS action directing states to assess their automatic renewal systems in order to ensure that eligible people did not lose coverage, to reinstate coverage for those who had been wrongly terminated, and to permanently fix renewal systems.

On the 8th day of repeal, the GOP took from me: pre-ex protections.

More than 135 million Americans have a pre-existing health condition, such as asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. Because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), insurers in the individual market can no longer drop, deny, or charge more on coverage because of a pre-existing condition. 

Without the ACA, millions of Americans who have been deemed as having a pre-existing condition, most likely including those who have contracted COVID-19, would be at the mercy of their insurance companies who could refuse to pay for needed care.

Read More:

The MAGA Republican War on American Health Care

As Savings Soar Ahead of First Anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans Threaten Repeal

Trump Vows to “Never Give Up” MAGA-Republican Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act, Ripping Health Care Away From Millions

Thanks to President Biden, More Americans Have Affordable, Quality Coverage Than Ever Before

As 2023 comes to a close, it’s clear that the Biden-Harris administration has gotten results on health care —  lowering costs and protecting coverage for millions of people across the nation. From taking on the drug companies so they can lower prices to reducing insurance costs so more people can afford coverage, Joe Biden really is a health care president. Highlights from 2023 include:

• The nation’s uninsured rate reached the lowest it has ever been in history.
• For the first time ever, Americans on Medicare can get free shingles vaccines and insulin for $35 per month.
• A record 16.3 million people signed up for ACA coverage, and even stronger numbers are expected from the ongoing 2024 open enrollment period.
• Driving down the price of prescription drugs by giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices on some of the highest cost-priced prescription drugs on the market used to treat conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders.
• Strengthening affordable coverage for new moms and kids.

President Biden’s dedication to the American people is what makes this list of health care accomplishments so long. But the work continues, President Biden will not give up the fight until every American has access to the high-quality, affordable health care they need to thrive.

January 2023

• The Department of Health and Human Services announced that 16.3 million people have signed up for health coverage during the 2023 open enrollment period. This represents a record number of Americans who signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. This is more than a 12 percent increase from the same time last year. 
• On January 1, 2023, two key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act took effect. First, insulin copays are now capped at $35 per month for more than three million diabetics covered by Medicare. Second, all adults on Medicare Part D have access to covered vaccines, such as shingles and Tdap, at no cost. These policies alone will save seniors hundreds of dollars on their health care costs, keep millions of people healthy, and prevent dangerous complications associated with diabetes, shingles, and other serious diseases. 
• President Biden signed a new Executive Order, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, to strengthen and reaffirm the administration’s commitment to deliver equity and build an America in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.

February 2023 

• The Biden-Harris administration announced it had effectively implemented the largest adult vaccination program in U.S. history, with nearly 270 million Americans receiving at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

March 2023

• As a result of the Biden-Harris administration’s stewardship of the ACA Marketplaces since taking office, 4.4 million more Americans, a total of 16.4 million enrolled in affordable Marketplace coverage.  
• On the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law, North Carolina became the 40th state to expand Medicaid, extending affordable health care to 600,000 North Carolinians.
• The Biden-Harris administration announced that, as a result of the American Rescue Plan, an estimated 462,000 Americans across 30 states and the District of Columbia have access to 12 months of postpartum coverage, a key policy to reduce maternal health disparities that exist for Black, Indigenous, and rural mothers. 
• In response to calls from President Biden, the three largest insulin manufacturers announced $35 monthly out-of-pocket cost caps, lowering costs of about 90% of the insulin on the market.

April 2023

• HHS finalized a rule to crack down on misleading advertising from insurers on Medicare Advantage plans. 
• As the pandemic-era Medicaid continuous coverage requirement ends, the Biden-Harris administration is working to ensure states have the tools and resources available to keep people covered and prevent those who still qualify for Medicaid coverage from losing it, including by making waivers available to make renewing coverage as seamless as possible.
• President Biden announced a historic set of executive actions to support and strengthen the caregiving workforce, including family caregivers and long-term care workers for seniors and people with disabilities.  
• The Department of Justice announced it was seeking a stay of the devastating ruling in Braidwood Management v. Becerra, which ends a major provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires no-cost coverage of lifesaving preventive health care services. Braidwood is the latest effort by ACA opponents and their Republican allies to dismantle American health care. 
• CMS issued two new rules to strengthen access to care for millions of people who rely on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Together, the two new rules would ensure the 92 million adults and children who rely on Medicaid have meaningful access to health care services including primary care, behavioral health and substance use disorder services, and OB/GYN care by establishing national standards for the time patients must wait to see a provider and the distance they must travel. 
• CMS released a proposal to expand health care to DACA recipients.  

May 2023

• President Biden committed to protecting health care for millions of Americans as Republicans are seeking to rip away coverage for as many as 21 million people who rely on Medicaid through their extreme “Default on America Act.” President Biden told reporters Medicaid is off the table while the White House confirmed “he will not accept proposals that take away peoples’ health coverage.” 
• CMS announced a proposal to increase prescription drug pricing transparency in Medicaid to hold drug manufacturers accountable while saving taxpayers money and strengthening Medicaid. 

June 2023

• President Biden signed legislation protecting millions of Americans’ health care, avoiding default on our nation’s debt. This victory was achieved for the American people despite Republicans’ best effort to rip Medicaid away from 21 million Americans with burdensome paperwork requirements after trying to hold the economy hostage in order to get their way. 
• The Biden administration announced that the number of drugs subject to the Inflation Reduction Act’s inflation penalties has doubled. This means that 43 prescription drugs had price hikes outpacing the annual rate of inflation last quarter, and now these drug manufacturers must pay Medicare a rebate and Medicare beneficiaries will see lower coinsurance costs. According to CMS, beneficiaries could save up to $449 per dose on these drugs.
• The Biden administration announced investments in helping up to 3 million eligible seniors and people with disabilities enroll in the Extra Help program in 2023 to benefit from the program’s lower cost premiums, deductibles, and copayments. The program. The Inflation Reduction Act expanded the program, and the expansion goes into effect in January 2024. 

July 2023

• The Biden administration announced new executive actions to lower health care costs and protect people with pre-existing conditions. The new actions eliminate surprise medical bills and limit junk insurance plans that do not need to cover people with pre-existing conditions like asthma, cancer, and diabetes.
• HHS finalized the guidance that describes how Medicare will negotiate with big drug companies for lower drug prices, and released a new report showing that nearly 19 million people with Medicare will save an average of $400 thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act’s $2,000 annual cost caps alone.

August 2023

• The Biden administration announced the first round of high-cost drugs whose prices will come down as part of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. This program will lower prices for some of the highest-priced prescription drugs on the market used to treat conditions like cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders – conditions that disproportionately impact women, communities of color, and people in rural areas.
• The Biden administration announced that it is requiring states to take immediate action to ensure their Medicaid systems to automatically renew coverage do not disenroll people who currently qualify for Medicaid. This action is essential to protecting coverage for people who rely on Medicaid and will especially help children and people of color stay covered. 

September 2023

• The Biden administration released a historic proposed rule that strengthens prohibitions discrimination for people with disabilities in any program or activity receiving funding from HHS. 
• The Biden administration announced that nearly 500,000 children and adults who were improperly disenrolled from Medicaid and CHIP will regain their coverage. Thanks to the Biden administration’s actions, those people will once again receive Medicaid coverage and any medical bills they incurred while they were disenrolled from the program will be covered. 
• The Biden administration successfully defended a lawsuit from drug company allies that would have halted Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower drug prices.

November 2023

• The Biden administration announced that 1.6 million people have signed up for health care coverage on the ACA Marketplace during the first week of open enrollment, which represents a 50 percent increase over the same period last year. Of those who signed up week one, more than 300,000 were new customers. 
• The White House and HHS released new resources to help support federal agencies, states, local and tribal governments to better coordinate health care, public health, and social services — specifically by releasing the first ever U.S. Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health. 
• CMS proposed a rule to allow states to include adult dental services as an essential health benefit that ACA health plans must cover without annual or lifetime limits.
• CMS approved Missouri as the 40th state to implement a full 12 months of Medicaid postpartum coverage, which was an option made available through the American Rescue Plan.

December 2023

• The Biden administration announced plans to lower prices for certain high-priced medicines by developing a policy for using federal “march-in rights” to license drugs to other manufacturers who could sell it for less. The plan includes a new framework for federal agencies to determine when it is appropriate to apply march-in rights authority to a specific high-cost drug that was developed using taxpayer dollars. The move is expected to stop price gouging and boost competition between drug manufacturers to lower prices for patients.
• The Biden administration announced that dozens of drug companies will be required to pay a rebate to Medicare because they raised prices faster than the rate of inflation. In total, 48 drugs under Medicare Part B hiked prices faster than inflation in the last quarter of 2023, and now the rebate payments are expected to save seniors who take these drugs up to $2,786 per dose. 
• The Biden administration also announced a new policy to ensure the best value for taxpayers by establishing a fair pricing standard for medical products purchased by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.
• The Biden administration released a new report on the first 10 drugs selected for Medicare negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act. Seven of the 10 drugs used taxpayer dollars during development and the rate of growth in spending for these 10 drugs was more than 3 times as fast as for all Part D drugs over the same period. 

For the full list of President Biden’s health care accomplishments, click here.