Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Obama To Join Biden At White House Celebration Of ACA
NBC News: Obama To Return To White House To Celebrate Health Care Reform
Former President Barack Obama will return to the White House on Tuesday for the first time since he left office to promote the Affordable Care Act in an event alongside President Joe Biden, a White House official said. The celebration of the 2010 health care overhaul will be their first joint appearance since they attended events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at Ground Zero in New York last fall, the official said. Vice President Kamala Harris will join them in delivering remarks about the expansion of health care benefits under the law, as well as Biden’s efforts to further reduce health care costs and expand access to care, the official added. (Memoli, 4/4)
AP: Obama To Return To White House For Health Care Event
The event is part of Biden’s effort to turn his focus to pocketbook issues that directly affect American households. While job growth has been steady since he took office, inflation is at its worst level in a generation. The White House said Biden “will take additional action to further strengthen the ACA and save families hundreds of dollars a month on their health care.” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra and other members of Biden’s Cabinet will attend Tuesday’s event. (4/4)
The Hill: Obama To Make White House Return To Tout ACA Successes
Former President Barack Obama is set to participate in an event celebrating the Affordable Care Act at the White House on Tuesday, his first public appearance in his former home since leaving office. Obama, alongside President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, is scheduled to “deliver remarks celebrating the success of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid in extending affordable health insurance to millions of Americans as part of the President’s agenda to cut costs for American families,” according to a White House agenda. (Beals, 4/3)
In other news about the Affordable Care Act —
Fierce Healthcare: State-Based ACA Exchanges Make Backup Plans In Case Congress Fails To Act On Enhanced ACA Subsidies
The Biden administration and states across the country celebrated record-breaking enrollment gains for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this year. But state-run exchanges are eyeing backup plans for outreach and marketing in case Congress doesn’t extend beyond this year a major driver for those enrollment gains: enhanced income-based subsidies. Some officials have warned that people could drop off coverage—and consumers may shift to less-generous plans—if Congress doesn't act in time. (King, 4/1)
The [Cedar Rapids, Iowa] Gazette: Fact Checker: Abby Finkenauer Says Chuck Grassley Tried To Dump Obamacare 12 Times
Abby Finkenauer, a Democrat hoping to claim Republican Chuck Grassley’s seat in the U.S. Senate, tweeted March 23 about Grassley’s attempts to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. “The Affordable Care Act was signed into law TWELVE years ago today,” she tweeted. “Since then, @ChuckGrassley has voted to roll it back TWELVE times — and even voted to take away coverage for folks with preexisting conditions.” (4/4)
Insider: Trump 'Exploded' After Ex-GOP Congressman Said He Would Oppose Obamacare Repeal Legislation: Book
Former Republican Rep. Will Hurd in a newly-released book said that then-President Donald Trump "exploded" at him in 2017 after he expressed his opposition to the Affordable Care Act repeal legislation put forward by the party. Hurd — a former CIA officer who represented Texas' vast 23rd congressional district from 2015 to 2021 — recounted that in his first one-on-one phone conversation with Trump, the then-president was seeking to rally support for the legislation. (Dorman and Griffiths, 4/2)
