Biden-Obama meeting: White House reunion to celebrate health law

The last time President Barack Obama was in the White House was on January 20, 2017, when he left to escort his successor — bent on overturning “Obamacare” — to the Capitol to be inaugurated.

The former US President returns to the White House on Tuesday for a moment he can savour. His signature Affordable Care Act is now part of the fabric of the American healthcare system, and President Joe Biden is looking to extend its reach.A

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Sign-ups under the health law have increased under Biden’s stewardship, and more generous taxpayer subsidies have cut costs for enrollees, albeit temporarily.

Biden and Obama are marking the 12th anniversary of the law that back in 2010 the then-vice president had memorably called a “big (expletive) deal.” Its staying power has been enhanced by three Supreme Court victories and an emphatic thumbs-down vote by the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., which took the wind out of President Donald Trump’s efforts to repeal and replace it.

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The law was such a bugaboo in 2010 that Democrats rarely invoked it as they went into a midterm election that turned out to be, in Obama’s own words, a “shellacking.” Now, Democrats are hoping the political equation will work to their advantage, and that a focus on shoring up the tween-age health law can help them avoid a debacle at the polls this November.

In addition to talking about health care at the White House, Biden and Obama plan to meet for lunch, recalling their weekly ritual when Biden served as Obama’s vice president.

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“They are real friends, not just Washington friends,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She indicated that the two presidents would also discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other world events.

Obama likes to refer to his health care law as a “starter home” that Americans can build upon, gradually reducing the 9% share of the population that remains uninsured. The rate was nearly 15% in 2013, before the coverage provisions of the law took effect. Between the health law’s Medicaid expansion and its health insurance markets, more than 30 million people are now estimated to be getting coverage.

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Shortly after taking office, Biden opened up the health insurance markets to anyone seeking coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his coronavirus relief bill provided a significant, though temporary, increase in financial assistance. The result was a record 14.5 million people signed up for subsidised private coverage.