HEALTHCARE____
Although he JOE BIDEN wants to ensure health care is a right for all
and not a privilege, he does not support Medicare for All and eliminating private insurance because it would mean getting rid of the hard-won Obamacare and starting over on political negotiations. He also argued during the September 12 debate
that Medicare for All would cost more than $30 trillion over 10 years.
Biden says his health care proposal will expand Obamacare so that 97% of Americans are insured and cost $750 billion over 10 years. He wants to introduce a public health insurance option like
Medicare that will be available premium-free to individuals in states that haven't expanded Medicaid and people making below 138% of the federal poverty level.
He wants to also eliminate the 400% of federal poverty level income cap for tax credit eligibility and lower employees' maximum contribution for coverage to 8.5%.
In addition to this, he promises
to bar health care providers from “surprise billing” patients with out-of-network rates,
address market concentration in the industry,
allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices with drug manufacturers,
establish an independent review board that will recommend a reasonable price for drugs with no competition,
penalize drug price increases over the inflation rate,
end tax deduction for all prescription drug ads,
support the development of generics
and
restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
On April 9, Biden announced he will fight for lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 60 from 65. "It reflects the reality that, even after the current crisis ends, older Americans are likely to find it difficult to secure jobs," he said in a Medium post discussing the soaring unemployment caused by COVID-19 and measures needed to help those affected.
The additional cost he said will be "financed out of general revenues to protect the Medicare Trust Fund."
