On Tuesday, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined President Joe Biden and Former President Barack Obama at the White House as President Biden signed an executive order to strengthen access to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid by fixing the “family glitch” in the ACA. Fixing this issue administratively will help increase access to affordable health coverage for 5.1 million people, mostly women and children, and lower health care costs for families across the country.
White House photo of President Joe Biden (#46) shaking hands with former President Barrack Obama (#44) before remarks for the signing of the “fix” to the ACA legislation that will help cover more than 5.1 million more Americans. Looking on, Vice President Kamyla Harris.
Obama, back at the White House for the first time in five years, talked about how hard it was to pass the Affordable Care Act. “Despite great odds, Joe and I were determined, because we met too many people on the campaign trail who shared their stories, and our own families had been touched by illness.”
“The ACA was an example of why you run for office in the first place,” he added. “We are not supposed to do this just to occupy a seat or hang on to power. We are supposed to do this because it is making a difference in the lives of the people who sent us here.”
“When we passed the Affordable Care Act, we significantly improved health coverage for millions and lowered health care costs for families across the country,” said Bennet. “As we continue to build on the ACA’s progress, fixing the family glitch is an important step to increase access to affordable health insurance to many women and children who were initially left out. I look forward to joining the president today, and I’ll keep working with my colleagues to achieve universal health care coverage.”
Bennet and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced the Medicare-X Choice Act, to create a public option by expanding on the ACA and Medicare. It also included a proposal in line with the president’s executive order to fix the family glitch, which currently prevents family members of people who are insured through the health care exchange from receiving a tax credit to lower their health premiums. This fix could expand access to health care to millions of Americans and lower their health care costs.
When it was first passed, public approval of the ACA legislation was 55 percent. Over time, the health care program has become more popular. Now public approval of the ACA has risen to 65 percent approval.
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