President Joe Biden stepped up his attacks on the GOP over healthcare costs on Tuesday, claiming that Medicare could be on the chopping block if Republicans win back the majority in the midterm elections.
Biden touted efforts to lower healthcare costs for seniors through the Democratic-led Inflation Reduction Act and a new price drop in premiums for Medicare enrollees, arguing that Republicans hope to stunt that progress by repealing the legislation or reassessing Social Security and Medicare as a whole.
MODERNA AND PFIZER-BIONTECH ASKS FDA TO AUTHORIZE OMICRON BOOSTERS FOR CHILDREN
“I wish I could say Republicans supported this progress in reducing healthcare costs and strengthening Medicare. That would be good for all Americans. But they have a very different idea,” Biden said Tuesday. “Every single Republican voted against the Inflation Reduction Act. And when it actually came time to do something about inflation around the kitchen table, every one of them said no in the House and Senate.”
His remarks come just six weeks before the midterm elections as Democrats hope to gain traction with a pivotal demographic of older voters. Biden pointed to the “11-Point Plan to Rescue America” from Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) that would require Congress to reauthorize federal legislation every five years, including Medicare, a federal health insurance for people 65 and older and those with disabilities that provides coverage for nearly 63 million people, and Social Security, as an example of Republican efforts that could put the programs in jeopardy.
Sweeping reforms to Medicare was a hallmark of the GOP agenda in past years, especially when former House Speaker Paul Ryan developed the House GOP budget, but those efforts have subsided in recent years because former President Donald Trump opposed changes to retirement programs.
Biden also took aim at House Republicans’ newly released agenda, called the “Commitment to America,” suggesting they would repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. Though the plan does not outright call for repealing the legislation, it does argue that it would lead to fewer lifesaving treatments and cures. House Republicans said they plan to tackle improving “health outcomes and ensure better care” with their own plan, though have not released specifics.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Among efforts to drop costs for seniors, Biden highlighted that Medicare beneficiaries will see their Part B premiums decrease in 2023 for the first time in over a decade. The standard monthly premiums will be $164.90 in 2023, down $5.40 from 2022, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, likely driven by a decision that limited coverage of an expensive new Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm.
