In response to President Biden’s State of the Union address calling for permanent measures for making healthcare more affordable and higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations to support an economy that works for all, Health Care for America Now (HCAN) Executive Director Margarida Jorge issued the following statement:
“President Biden laid out his accomplishments in lowering health care costs for millions in our country in his State of the Union, including lowering the cost of Affordable Care Act coverage and lowering drug prices in Medicare, but he didn’t stop there: he shared a confident vision for how we keep health care affordable and how Congress can expand that affordability to millions more Americans who are struggling to pay for health care. The President’s comments came in stark contrast to continued calls from former President Trump to repeal the ACA and to the current Congressional GOP efforts to repeal the prescription drug reforms and cut Medicaid and Medicare, key pillars of our health system.
“The President also pointed to GOP efforts to renew the 2017 Trump tax cuts as a central threat to all the progress we’ve achieved on health care affordability and in other key areas that affect health outcomes, including employment and housing. Renewal of the Trump tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy and corporations, including price-gouging drug and insurance corporations, could add $3.5 trillion to the national debt while forcing cuts in critical health services and programs that people depend on every day. Recent analysis shows that past tax breaks for wealthy and corporations are the biggest contributors to the nation’s current debt.
“Finally, the President renewed his commitment in last night’s speech to restoring the basic reproductive free to access legal and safe abortion which has been tremendously diminished since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Restoring the right to abortion and establishing fair and expanded access to the full range of reproductive services is a fundamental lynchpin for healthy outcomes for women and families and for economic security that we all need to thrive.”
