President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, joined by Governor Roy Cooper, made a joint appearance in North Carolina on Tuesday to celebrate the state’s expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to warn against looming Republican threats to destroy the law. North Carolina is the 40th state to expand Medicaid, extending affordable health care to 600,000 North Carolinians. At the event, Democratic leaders highlighted record enrollment under the ACA, lower premiums for people who buy coverage on their own, and prescription drug savings for millions of Americans.
President Biden also laid out a vision for the future of American health care, highlighting priorities to further lower costs and expand affordable health care. This is in stark contrast to Republican priorities on health care, which includes repealing the ACA and Medicaid expansion, ripping away protections for people with pre-existing conditions, increasing insurance premiums and prescription drug costs, and putting Medicaid coverage for tens of millions in jeopardy. Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump sabotaged affordable health care and pre-existing condition protections while he was in office, and has renewed his calls to “terminate” the ACA if re-elected at least seven times over the last several months.
HEADLINES
The Hill: Biden Seeks To Draw Contrast With Trump On Health Care In North Carolina. “President Biden and Vice President Harris traveled Tuesday to North Carolina to tout the recent anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and bash Republicans’ health care agenda. Biden delivered remarks in Raleigh, the capital of a state his campaign has cited as a potential flip opportunity in November after he lost it to former President Trump by roughly 75,000 votes in 2020. The visit was timed around the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law, but Biden used the trip to more broadly chastise Trump and Republicans for their efforts to restrict abortion and roll back health care coverage. ‘Kamala and I have come back to North Carolina to celebrate the Affordable Care Act and remind all of us that we can’t take anything for granted,’ Biden said. Biden noted Trump and the Republicans in Congress unsuccessfully tried dozens of times to repeal the law known as ObamaCare. He also seized on a budget proposal from the Republican Study Committee that called for cuts to the Affordable Care Act and entitlement programs.” [The Hill, 3/26/24]
The News & Observer (Opinion): “An Even Bigger Deal”: In Winnable NC, Biden And Harris Remind Voters What’s At Stake. “President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris rolled into Raleigh on Tuesday for a rare double appearance. Their mission was celebrating the 14th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act as well as North Carolina’s decision, at long last, to take advantage of the ACA’s incentives for states to expand Medicaid eligibility. At the time of the ACA’s passage, then-Vice President Biden was famously caught on mic whispering to President Barack Obama that the new health care law was ‘a big (expletive) deal.’ On Tuesday, after apologizing for his language, he said, ‘It’s an even bigger deal today.’ […] In their one-two delivery, Harris focused on what the Biden administration has done to improve women’s access to health care and the president emphasized how Republicans have tried to repeal the ACA and failed to support legislation that has lowered the price of some drugs, most notably insulin for seniors. Biden said, ‘We finally beat big pharma.’” [The News & Observer (Opinion), 3/26/24]
Cardinal & Pine: Biden And Harris Tout Healthcare Access Expansion Success At Raleigh Visit. “Tuesday afternoon, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris visited Raleigh to discuss the administration’s achievements in lowering healthcare costs and expanding access to health insurance. […] This visit comes just days after the 14th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and as Donald Trump is on the campaign trail expressing support for repealing the law. […] Biden hit back at former President Donald Trump, who as president came within one vote of repealing the ACA, when the late John McCain voted to save the law in the US Senate in 2017. Now the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party, Trump has been on the campaign trail renewing threats to repeal the ACA. ‘Now they want, to quote his words, ‘terminate’ the ACA, as my predecessor says. If that were ever to happen, we can also terminate a lot of lives as well,’ Biden warned. Biden went on to describe the real world consequences of repealing the ACA for many Americans. ’45 million people nationwide would lose their health insurance, including 1.4 million right here in North Carolina. 100 million people with preexisting conditions, from heart disease to asthma could lose their protection as well,’ Biden explained.” [Cardinal & Pine, 3/26/24]
The Washington Post: Biden And Harris Argue That Democrats Will Preserve Health Care And Republicans Would Take It Away. “President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday promoted their health care agenda in the battleground state of North Carolina, arguing that Democrats like themselves would preserve access to care while Republicans would reverse gains made over the past decade and a half. Fourteen years after President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, the White House still sees health care as a winning issue during a campaign in which Biden has sometimes found himself on the defensive when it comes to immigration or the economy. Republicans have opposed Biden’s signature initiatives to lower medical costs, and they’ve seized opportunities to restrict abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. ‘It’s sick. Now they want to quote, his words, terminate the ACA, as my predecessor says,’ Biden said, referring to Republican former President Donald Trump. ‘If that were ever to happen, we’d also terminate a lot of lives as well. But we’re not going to let that happen, are we? We’re not going to let that happen.’” [The Washington Post (AP), 3/26/24]
Roll Call: Takeaways As Biden, Harris Take Aim At Trump, Try To Flip North Carolina. “Taking the stage in a Raleigh community center before her boss, Harris said ‘extremists … want to take away’ coverage for seniors, working families and Americans with pre-existing conditions. […] Biden called on Congress to pass a measure that would expand tax credits granted by the Affordable Care Act after vowing Trump ‘and his MAGA friends’ would not be able to repeal the 2010 health care law. He touted his record, including helping the Medicare program negotiate lower prescription drug costs, and said he wants to expand that to more Americans in a second term. White House aides during a Monday evening call previewing the event contended that Biden, working with the state’s outgoing Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, had expanded Medicaid coverage via the Affordable Care Act to 600,000 residents there. The aides, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told reporters those same North Carolinians could lose that coverage if Trump’s campaign proposals become law.” [Roll Call, 3/26/24]
CNN: Biden And Harris Team Up For A Rare Joint Appearance In North Carolina To Take On GOP Over Health Care. “President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took on Republicans over health care in North Carolina on Tuesday, looking to press what they believe is a winning issue ahead of November’s election. The Raleigh stop marked a rare joint appearance on the road by the president and vice president, highlighting the emphasis the duo will place on health care as they prepare to face off against former President Donald Trump. It came the same day the Supreme Court heard arguments on access to the abortion medication mifepristone, teeing up a summer decision that could have major implications for abortion rights. Biden’s advisers believed Tuesday’s visit would provide a stark contrast between the Democratic ticket’s vision for health care and reproductive rights and proposals put forth by Republicans. It’s taking place on the heels of a campaign push slamming Trump for threatening to repeal the Affordable Care Act if he’s elected to a second term.” [CNN, 3/26/24]
Spectrum News: Biden Talks Lowering Health Care Costs As He Hopes To Put North Carolina Into Play This November. “President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris rallied supporters around their vision to lower health care costs and strengthen the Affordable Care Act during a visit to North Carolina on Tuesday. It marked the latest stop on Biden’s post-State of the Union swing state tour as he looks to put the Tar Heel State into play this November. Speaking at a community center in Raleigh on Tuesday, Biden touted what he considers some of his most significant accomplishments in terms of health care costs, such as enabling Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, capping insulin costs at $35 a month and total out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000 per year for seniors on Medicare. ‘Folks, I want to extend those savings to everyone who needs lifesaving insulin, whether you’re a senior or not — everyone, everyone,’ Biden said of the insulin price cap before later echoing that message when it comes to the $2,000 a year ceiling. The president has also called for Medicare to have the power to negotiate the price of 50 drugs per year rather than 20. It comes less than a week after the White House marked the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, known colloquially as Obamacare, highlighting that a record 21.4 million people enrolled in health insurance plans through its marketplaces during the 2024 open enrollment period.” [Spectrum News, 3/26/24]
Firstpost: Biden and Harris Argue That Democrats Will Preserve Health Care And Republicans Would Take It Away. “In the crucial state of North Carolina on Tuesday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris pushed their health care programme, claiming that Democrats like them would protect access to care while Republicans would undo progress achieved over the previous fifteen years. In a campaign when Joe Biden has occasionally found himself on the defence when it comes to immigration or the economy, the White House continues to view health care as a winning topic, fourteen years after President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Republicans have fought Biden’s flagship efforts to cut healthcare costs, and since the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, they have taken advantage of opportunities to limit access to abortion.” [Firstpost, 3/27/24]
WXII 12: President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris Visit North Carolina And Talk About Affordable Care Act. “President Biden and Vice President Harris told the crowd that health care is a right, not a privilege, so they stressed the importance of protecting the Affordable Care Act. The president said it’s not just about protecting but also strengthening the plan and expanding coverage. It’s something the president said he and his administration have a plan for, so that no Americans go without coverage. ‘At the most vulnerable point in your life, so many Americans heard these words: ‘Sorry, you’re on your own.’ For God’s sake, this is the United States Of America. We’re so much better than that, and that’s why the Affordable Care Act is so important and why Kamala and I will make it stronger than ever before,’ President Joe Biden said.” [WXII 12, 3/26/24]
ABC45 News: President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris Visit North Carolina To Talk Healthcare. “President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage in Raleigh to talk health care. Last year North Carolina expanded Medicaid that provided coverage to over 600,000 people through the Affordable Cares Act. Sot: ’21 million people covered under the ACA, a 75 percent increase since Kamala and I came into office and that includes over 1 million folks right here in North Carolina,’ said President Joe Biden. Lowering health care, increasing mental health coverage, & maintaining Medicaid for North Carolinians are focal points Biden wants to tackle.” [ABC45 News, 3/26/24]