It has been 13 years since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law by former president Barack Obama, an anniversary President Joe Biden celebrated with a speech at the White House today.
The Affordable Care Act, formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as ObamaCare, is a federal stature that was enacted on March 23, 2010, with three main goals:
- Make affordable health insurance available to more people
- Expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138% of the federal poverty Level (FPL)
- Support innovative medical care delivery methods to help lower the costs of health care in general
In his speech this afternoon, Biden lauds the Affordable Care Act for the progress it has made over the past 13 years and how beneficial it has been in transforming the health care landscape for Americans.
He cites lower prescription drug prices, increased mental health treatment, less medical debt, more early detections of cancer and more medical treatments as results of the legislation.
Biden emphasized the need to continue this path to give Americans more breathing room when it comes to seeking health care, urging Republicans to step up and advocate for better accessibility instead of trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“Healthcare is a right. Not a privilege,” said Biden. “We’re not all the way there yet, but there’s more to do, so let’s finish the job.”
Biden’s F-Bomb moment
Back in 2010 when the Affordable Care Act became law, Biden had his own viral moment the historic signing.
After introducing and embracing Obama at the podium, he can be heard off-mic saying into Obama’s ear, “This is a big f—ing deal,” with a grin on his face.
Today, Obama looks back on the feat as monumental moment in his career, and for Americans.
“The night the ACA passed was one of the most meaningful moments of my career, because we knew the ACA would have a profound impact on the lives of millions of people,” he wrote in an official statement today.
Since then, the legislation has provided nearly 36 million Americans access to health care, protected 133 million people with pre-existing conditions from losing their health insurance and expanded Medicaid to 40 states to cover 21 million low-income adults under 65, according to Obama.
