President Joe Biden’s Plan for Healthcare-a review

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021. As the Democratic candidate and former Vice President, Biden defeated incumbent president Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

This post was originally published August 18, 2020.

Due to the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus, health has been a major topic in both world and national news this year and will continue to be so for months if not years. And health is a major issue in this year’s United States’ presidential election in November 2020.

Health care was a major issue in the 2008 election and proved to be momentous. In his campaign, the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, promised health care reform and as President he delivered with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, (ACA) the first time Americans have had universal health care.

The ACA sparked heated debate in the 2016 election with the Democratic candidate pledging to build upon it and Republican candidate vowing to dismantle it . This year the debate continues.

Healthcare and the Presidential campaign 2020

In this and a previous post, I review and list what I think are some of the most important points in the health care philosophy of each major party candidate, according to information on their official websites.

I am not endorsing either of the candidates, their party,or their healthcare plans. My intent is to present a non-partisan look at what they have done and propose. If it sounds otherwise, that is unintentional. I’ll give you the links to their sites and encourage you to read them for yourself.

You should also review my post about the Democratic Party healthcare platform.

The challenging candidate-Democrat-Joe R. Biden

Joe R. Biden was a US. Senator from Delaware for 36 years. He served as the 47th Vice President of the United States. He was born November 20, 1942. Mr. Biden is married to Jill Biden and has had 4 children, 2 of them deceased.

The Biden Plan for Healthcare

Access to affordable insurance

• create a public health option like Medicare
• increase value of tax credits to lower insurance premiums .
• expand coverage to low income Americans
• premium-free access to the public option for those 4.9 million individuals who would be eligible for Medicaid 
• opposes every effort to get rid of the Affordable Care Act

Affordable, quality healthcare, less complex system

• Middle class families will get a premium tax credit to help them pay for coverage.
• Stop surprise billing: bar health care providers from charging patients out-of-network rates when the patient doesn’t have control over which provider the patient sees (for example, during a hospitalization)
• Lower costs and improve outcomes by partnering with the healthcare workforce .

Stop “abuse of power” by pharmaceutical companies

• Repeal the law allowing pharmaceutical companies to avoid negotiating with Medicare over drug prices
• Limit launch prices for new drugs facing no competition and limit price increases for existing drugs to no higher than general inflation
• Allow consumers to buy prescription drugs from other countries
• Stop drug companies’ tax break for advertising
• Improve the supply of generic drugs.

Make healthcare a right for all, not a privilege for a few

• Expand access to contraception and protect the constitutional right to an abortion
• Restore federal funding to Planned Parenthood
• Reduce the high maternal mortality rate, which especially impacts women of color
• Defend health care protections for all regardless of gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
• Double federal investment in community health centers
• Improve access to mental health care and remove the stigma

“In the months ahead, Biden will put forward additional plans to tackle health challenges affecting specific communities, including access to health care in rural communities, gun violence, and opioid addiction.”

Exploring the HEART of healthcare politics

Thanks for reviewing this overview of Mr. Biden’s health care proposals. I hope you will take the time to review his website for yourself. In another post I reviewed the views of the incumbent Republican President, Donald Trump.

At this time there is still much uncertainty as to how we will be able to vote in November without getting exposed to the coronavirus. Whatever the situation is in your community, I hope you will find a way to participate in this important process, one of our most precious rights and privileges as United States citizens.