Biden Heads to Ohio for the 11th Anniversary of Obamacare

U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Ohio for the 11th anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Tuesday. He will visit the Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital to mark the occasion.

Moreover, the U.S. President will promote a $100 million grant the hospital received under the program, known as Obamacare. This was to upgrade its radiation oncology department, White House officials said.

The ACA is the signature legislative achievement of former Democratic President Barack Obama. It has survived repeated attacks from Republicans, on Capitol Hill and in the courts. The ACA is expanding under Biden’s watch.

At the same time, Biden and other top White House officials will be on a “Help is Here” tour. This will be to draw attention to the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill, which is Biden’s first major legislation. It also provides short-term subsidies that deliver discounts for almost everyone who buys insurance under the program.

Biden’s Executive Orders

Biden signed several executive orders to reverse actions by Republican President Donald Trump. The former U.S. President had failed in his repeated promise to repeal Obamacare. Critics said it made the program more expensive for consumers and more difficult to enroll in.

The enrollment period was reopened by the President to purchase coverage under the Affordable Care Act. He extended the enrollment until May 15. Last year, Trump refused to open up a special enrollment period because the coronavirus pandemic was turning the country upside down.

In mid-February, the federal exchange reopened for a special enrollment period. More than 206,000 people signed up for coverage in the first two weeks. 

That’s almost triple the number during the same time frame last year. This was, however when access was limited to life-changing events.

About 28 million Americans are without health insurance. This number was down from about 46.5 million in 2010.  According to the latest federal figures, this was when the ACA was passed. 

More than 200,000 Americans opted to sign up for health insurance under public health care. That was upon the 11-year anniversary of the ACA being signed into law, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

That’s up from 76,000 and 60,000 during the first two weeks of open enrollment in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is pouring $50 million into marketing and outreach. This is with hopes of restoring the funding slashed by Trump.