Biden remembers his health scares and as he vows to keep lowering the cost of prescription drugs
President Joe Biden outlined the difficulties Americans face when it comes to the cost of medication and praised his administration’s work to resolve that, an issue the White House sees as a winning one for them heading into the election of 2024.
He quickly contrasted his actions with those of the Republicans, criticizing the GOP for trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act and cut Social Security and Medicare.
And he joked that lower drug prices are a popular issue.
“It’s much more popular than me,” he said as the audience chuckled.
He spent much of the speech comparing his ideas to Republican proposals and, as he has often done, shared his own family’s struggles with health care costs when his son Beau was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2015.
President Joe Biden slammed Republicans during a speech in Las Vegas, Nevada, trumpeting his administration’s work to lower drug prices
Biden spoke at the University of Nevada on the last day of a three-day trip that also took him to California. The White House believes that health care is an issue on which it can beat the GOP
“I’ve been a big healthcare user and so has my family,” he said before praising the healthcare professionals.
‘Doctors let you live. Nurses – male and female – make you want to live.’
In February 1988, after recurrent painful headaches, he suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms. The then 45-year-old senator had to be operated on urgently.
He has often used his experience, and how medical staff saved the lives of his two sons when his wife and daughter died in a traffic accident, to empathize with Americans struggling with loss.
And he contrasted that with the Republican Party’s extreme victory.
“These MAGA Republicans — they’re different,” he said. “They are determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act.”
He also reiterated his earlier accusation that they want to cut rights programs. He pointed out to the crowd that during his State of the Union address, who had accused him of lying about their position, Republicans pledged not to cut the massive aid programs.
But, he warned, “I won’t believe it until I see it.”
Next, Sen. Joe Biden talks to the press after returning to Capitol Hill in 1988 after brain surgery for aneurysms
His comments painted a grim picture for the poor and elderly if Republicans had their way on health care.
He warned that if Republicans were successful in appealing the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans would be unable to get insurance because of pre-existing conditions.
That provision is one of the most popular of Obamacare, the nickname for the Affordable Care Act.
Biden pushes for cheaper prescription drugs as he gears up for an expected bid for a second term in the White House.
“MAGA’s Republicans don’t think this is a good idea,” the president said, accusing them of being on the side of the pharmaceutical industry.
Biden paid tribute to doctors and nurses at the beginning of his speech. ‘Doctors let you live. Nurses – men and women – make you want to live,” he said
After his speech, Biden posed for selfies with supporters
The president has already bragged about how his administration has cut the cost of insulin for Americans.
The Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act is expected to save taxpayers billions of dollars and reduce the cost of medicines for the approximately 84 million Americans who depend on Medicare.
In addition to capping the price of insulin at $35, the legislation allows the federal government to make deals on a handful of pharmaceutical drugs for Medicare enrollees.
Biden is seeking to expand that authority in his budget proposal he submitted to Congress. It is expected to fail in the Republican-controlled House.
After his speech it was time to go back to Washington. Biden followed his granddaughter Natalie Biden up the stairs as he boarded Air Force One at Harry Reid International Airport
But the president could turn it into a successful re-election issue.
Cheaper prescription drugs are seen as a winning issue with older voters, who also come to the polls reliably.
In his remarks, Biden specifically warned of the implications for the elderly.
“For seniors on fixed incomes,” he said, “the constant question is whether they can afford their medication.”
“It’s not just the elderly — it’s every family out there.”
The president, who is wrapping up a three-day trip to the west coast, was in a jovial mood as he addressed the friendly crowd.
“Is there a doctor in the house,” he joked as he began his remarks.
And he pulled out one of his old jokes when he saw people above him watching his comments from a higher floor: “Don’t jump,” he told them.
He also praised healthcare workers for their work during the COVID pandemic. Several doctors and nurses were on hand for his comments.
“Health workers are risking their lives,” he remarked to great applause from the crowd.