Former United States President Barack Obama is set to return to the White House on Tuesday to celebrate the success of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid in bringing insurance to millions of Americans.
The event will be the former leader's first public event in the White House since he left office in 2017. On Sunday, a White House official said that Obama will join President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to "deliver remarks celebrating the success of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid in extending affordable health insurance to millions of Americans."
Obama Returns to the White House
The celebratory event is part of Biden's continuous efforts to turn his focus on pocketbook issues that directly affect households in the country. It can be noted that, while job growth since he took office has been steady, inflation has become a major cause of concern and is considered to be at its worst level in a generation.
The White House noted that President Biden was planning to take additional action that would further strengthen the ACA and save families several hundreds of dollars every month on their health care. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra and other members of Biden's cabinet will also be attending the event on Tuesday, as per ABC News.
Obama signed the ACA into law 12 years ago when a hot mic then-Vice President Biden described the measure as a "big f*cking deal." The former president has repeatedly touted the law since leaving office, and it has proven to be increasingly popular in GOP-led states that have not expanded Medicaid to low-income adults.
The popularity of the measure has become even more apparent as Biden and the Democratic-led Congress have distributed more resources into the program. The decision is a drastic shift from the four years under the administration of former President Donald Trump.
According to CNN, the Republican businessman deeply reduced the funding of the program during his presidency, cutting down resources for the measure's marketing and enrollment assistance while also reducing the sign-up period from 12 weeks to six weeks.
Affordable Care Act
Biden resisted urges from many Democrats, including Bernie Sanders who called for the scrapping of the ACA in favor of a more sweeping government-financed single-payer health system. Instead, the president committed to building on the existing law, which placed him in the center of the debate.
After Obamacare survived the Trump administration, Biden pledged to repair and renew the program. The complete realization of the Democrat's promise would be achieved by addressing all three of its goals: expanding coverage, curbing costs, and improving the still uneven quality of American health care.
In Biden's first year in office, he achieved success in applying the program to include more Americans, an effort that has since stalled out. The primary reason for this is the COVID-19 pandemic which has taken the majority of the administration's focus.
The COVID-19 health crisis has also put new priorities to the forefront, including addressing racial equity in health and rebuilding the fractured and demoralized public health system, Politico reported.
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