Biden attacks Trump health policy as 'cruel' in election battleground state

By Jarrett Renshaw

 

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a Biden campaign event at a recreation center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S., June 25, 2020. REUTERS/Mark Makela

 

LANCASTER, Penn. (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday condemned President Donald Trump for fighting to gut Obamacare, accusing the Republican of threatening healthcare protections for millions of Americans in the midst of a raging pandemic.

 

In a speech in the must-win election battleground of Pennsylvania, Biden blasted the Trump administration for its expected filing on Thursday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to declare the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, illegal. The law was the signature legislative achievement of Biden's time as Barack Obama's vice president.

 

"It's cruel, it's heartless, it's callous," Biden said, and would force families to "live their lives caught in a vise between Donald Trump's twin legacies: his failure to protect the American people from the coronavirus and his heartless crusade to take healthcare protections away."

 

Biden, who has mostly stayed in his Delaware home since March amid coronavirus concerns, is slowly resuming some campaigning.

 

Trump, his opponent in the Nov. 3 election, traveled on Thursday to Wisconsin, another swing state, and was expected to address police reform and manufacturing.

 

Recent polls show Trump trailing Biden in both states, and on Wednesday the number of new coronavirus cases around the country climbed to a near-record high.

 

The president has said his decisions to restrict travel and encourage social distancing helped curtail the virus, but the United States has by far the most coronavirus cases and deaths in the world.

 

Trump has criticized the cost and coverage under Obamacare and has been promising since his 2016 campaign to replace it with a better plan.

 

"The president will always support coverage for people with pre-existing conditions," said Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh.

 

It was the ACA that prohibited health insurers from denying coverage to Americans with pre-existing health conditions.

 

Democrats expect to make their promise to defend Obamacare a marquee election-year issue after they used a similar strategy in 2018 to win control of the House of Representatives.

 

House Democrats unveiled a bill on Wednesday to provide more tax credits for low-income people's insurance and more healthcare funding for states. Republicans are unlikely to support the bill.

 

(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw in Lancaster, Penn., and Trevor Hunnicutt in New York; Editing by James Oliphant and Bill Berkrot)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-25

 

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13 minutes ago, webfact said:

Biden, who has mostly stayed in his Delaware home since March amid coronavirus concerns

 

Riiiiiight ????

 

Definitely couldn't be that every time he opens his gob be looks and sounds like he is literally losing his marbles. 

Well yea trump doesent have anything to replace it with other than more out of pocket for working Americans less out of pocket for the wealthy employers 

8 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Riiiiiight ????

 

Definitely couldn't be that every time he opens his gob be looks and sounds like he is literally losing his marbles. 

 

29 minutes ago, webfact said:

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday condemned President Donald Trump for fighting to gut Obamacare, accusing the Republican of threatening healthcare protections for millions of Americans in the midst of a raging pandemic.

Dem presidential candidate has a lot of nerve  "condemning" Mr. Trump!

2 minutes ago, riclag said:

 

Dem presidential candidate has a lot of nerve  "condemning" Mr. Trump!

Because fact-based condemnations are just so wrong?

40 minutes ago, webfact said:

President Donald Trump for fighting to gut Obamacare, accusing the Republican of threatening healthcare protections for millions of Americans in the midst of a raging pandemic.

 

Ah the Republican Dream, destroy Obamacare and let them have no insurance! Lets do this during the Wuhan virus, and when it is surging out of control, due to our, republican, incompetence. Great swaths of the country are laid off from work. - No Better Time to Extract More Pain. 

 

Would that be Joe "if a Medicare For All policy lands on my desk I will veto it" Biden?

32 minutes ago, riclag said:

 

Dem presidential candidate has a lot of nerve  "condemning" Mr. Trump!

Oh those pesky facts trump has nothing to replace the affordable care act but chaos and as far as health mindedness what will be the death toll just for his ego boost (rally) in Arizona the other day he can’t even bring himself to back the wearing of masks to save lives he’s literally getting Americans killed due to his utter incompetence in the health fields so yea I think joe has a point

Joe Biden wakes up in his basement and has thoughts? ???? 

54 minutes ago, johnpetersen said:

Because fact-based condemnations are just so wrong?

biden has been around for close to 40 years Mr. Trump 3, goin on 8!

biden has nothing to offer but his time and his condemnations!

23 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

Would that be Joe "if a Medicare For All policy lands on my desk I will veto it" Biden?

 

One and the same. 

 

At this point I would honestly consider Medicare for All if just one single mainstream politician would lay it out in a way that ticks all the boxes and the math adds up, but they dont. 

 

And Republicans will fight it tooth and nail, so its unlikely to get any traction unless the Dems have a majority and force it through the way they did with Obamacare, which is unlikely. 

42 minutes ago, LomSak27 said:

Ah the Republican Dream, destroy Obamacare and let them have no insurance! Lets do this during the Wuhan virus, and when it is surging out of control, due to our, republican, incompetence. Great swaths of the country are laid off from work. - No Better Time to Extract More Pain. 

ObamaCare: 10 years of distress and disappointment

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/486134-obamacare-10-years-of-distress-and-disappointment#:~:text=In its first decade%2C ObamaCare,of unintended consequences in action.&text=As of this writing%2C there,million Americans without health insurance.

 

"No better time to extract more pain" ,like you said

48 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

Would that be Joe "if a Medicare For All policy lands on my desk I will veto it" Biden?

Once again we see how beautifully broken the US two party system is.

 

Wrong for one party always has to be what ever is deemed right by the other party.

 

Put "none of the above" on the ballot & see how many of the usual suspects never see office again

just a thought,if you USA folks quit burning ,demo ing ,fighting and wore masks instead of complaining about stuff all the time youd have a lot less stuff to deal with,more of you back at work, less in hospital,less debt and USA and the world would be a better place.really whats all the complaining about ,look around you.your sitting pretty high on the hill.look at things here ,people get nothing if theyre thrown out of work ,no freebies in this part of the world,latam and africa too,your some spoilt little whiners id say.as for govt  umm you could be in hk china philippines africa middle east and and and,but its all about me all of the time,europeans had a lotta stuff to deal with and they got on with it except a minority of whining brits who made trouble where there wasnt any, over an issue from where?

9 minutes ago, riclag said:

ObamaCare: 10 years of distress and disappointment

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/486134-obamacare-10-years-of-distress-and-disappointment#:~:text=In its first decade%2C ObamaCare,of unintended consequences in action.&text=As of this writing%2C there,million Americans without health insurance.

 

No better time to extract more pain!

Nothing better than quoting  sources from hard line conservatives with an axe to grind. What are the actual facts in the supply chain and political interference by Republicans which have created so many problems for Obamacare? I have read the trump administration attacks on Obamacare will cause millions of more Americans losing out on medical cover. interestingly not referenced by the trump world.

43 minutes ago, meechai said:

Once again we see how beautifully broken the US two party system is.

 

Wrong for one party always has to be what ever is deemed right by the other party.

 

Put "none of the above" on the ballot & see how many of the usual suspects never see office again

 

I can't support either one of the leading candidates.

 

Americans overwhelmingly support Support single payor Medicare For All healthcare insurance:    

 

https://www.kff.org/slideshow/public-opinion-on-single-payer-national-health-plans-and-expanding-access-to-medicare-coverage/

 

Here's what "the party of the people" is up to:

 

https://theintercept.com/2019/06/11/medicare-for-all-ways-means-committee/

43 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

 

I can't support either one of the leading candidates.

 

Americans overwhelmingly support Support single payor Medicare For All healthcare insurance:    

 

https://www.kff.org/slideshow/public-opinion-on-single-payer-national-health-plans-and-expanding-access-to-medicare-coverage/

 

Here's what "the party of the people" is up to:

 

https://theintercept.com/2019/06/11/medicare-for-all-ways-means-committee/

Did you read paragraph 2 on that page you linked to?

"KFF polling finds public support for Medicare-for-all shifts significantly when people hear arguments about potential tax increases or delays in medical tests and treatment (Figure 10). KFF polling found that when such a plan is described in terms of the trade-offs (higher taxes but lower out-of-pocket costs), the public is almost equally split in their support (Figure 11).  KFF polling also shows many people falsely assume they would be able to keep their current health insurance under a single-payer plan, suggesting another potential area for decreased support especially since most supporters (67 percent) of such a proposal think they would be able to keep their current health insurance coverage (Figure 12)."

https://www.kff.org/slideshow/public-opinion-on-single-payer-national-health-plans-and-expanding-access-to-medicare-coverage/

 

I don't understand the nearly religious attachment to Medicare for all. The goal of health care reform should be universal coverage. Plenty of countries do that via private health insurance.

 

45 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

I can't support either one of the leading candidates.

 

Americans overwhelmingly support Support single payor Medicare For All healthcare insurance: 

Unfortunately, it's too late as they are deeply in debt and can't afford it. Next, they will be coming for your SS benefits. 

13 minutes ago, johnpetersen said:

I don't understand the nearly religious attachment to Medicare for all. The goal of health care reform should be universal coverage. Plenty of countries do that via private health insurance.

Out of curiosity which countries are able to provide universal health care via private health insurance, got some examples?

15 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Out of curiosity which countries are able to provide universal health care via private health insurance, got some examples?

Germany, Japan, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland

33 minutes ago, johnpetersen said:

Did you read paragraph 2 on that page you linked to?

"KFF polling finds public support for Medicare-for-all shifts significantly when people hear arguments about potential tax increases or delays in medical tests and treatment (Figure 10). KFF polling found that when such a plan is described in terms of the trade-offs (higher taxes but lower out-of-pocket costs), the public is almost equally split in their support (Figure 11).  KFF polling also shows many people falsely assume they would be able to keep their current health insurance under a single-payer plan, suggesting another potential area for decreased support especially since most supporters (67 percent) of such a proposal think they would be able to keep their current health insurance coverage (Figure 12)."

https://www.kff.org/slideshow/public-opinion-on-single-payer-national-health-plans-and-expanding-access-to-medicare-coverage/

 

I don't understand the nearly religious attachment to Medicare for all. The goal of health care reform should be universal coverage. Plenty of countries do that via private health insurance.

 

 

What I'd like to see is a national referendum whereby the question is asked "Should healthcare be provided to all Americans whereby it is free at point of service or should no healthcare be provided for any Americans whereby it is free at point of service". I can live with either outcome. What I can't accept is that some get it and some don't.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday condemned President Donald Trump for fighting to gut Obamacare, accusing the Republican of threatening healthcare protections for millions of Americans in the midst of a raging pandemic.

 

Brilliant move. Healthcare number 1 on people's mind. Will further enhance the electability of Biden and create a chasm too steep for Trump to narrow by November.  

27 minutes ago, johnpetersen said:

Germany, Japan, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland

Thanks - I checked out a few i.e.

 

Switzerland - compulsory private insurance

Belgium - compulsory private health insurance

Germany - mix of compulsory and private health insurance

Japan - compulsory health care financial contribution / insurance

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears compulsory private health insurance is in reality a tax funding welfare state type of universal health care. If I understood you correctly it seems extraordinary the US haven't been able to organise and administer a similar system for decades, which generates so mush pain across US society for the less fortunate.

 

3 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

One and the same. 

 

At this point I would honestly consider Medicare for All if just one single mainstream politician would lay it out in a way that ticks all the boxes and the math adds up, but they dont. 

 

And Republicans will fight it tooth and nail, so its unlikely to get any traction unless the Dems have a majority and force it through the way they did with Obamacare, which is unlikely. 

Make it affordable by restricting it to citizens. 

53 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Brilliant move. Healthcare number 1 on people's mind. Will further enhance the electability of Biden and create a chasm too steep for Trump to narrow by November.  

Spot on!and old joe ripped him a new one when stating it the worm has turned folks are fed up it’s about time imo!

2 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

snip

 

At this point I would honestly consider Medicare for All if just one single mainstream politician would lay it out in a way that ticks all the boxes and the math adds up, but they dont. 

 

The Maths is unbelievably simple. Healthcare costs roughly twice as much in the US  as EVERY other advanced economy country in the world. The US system is a total scam with Doctor's, Hospitals, Insurance companies, Big Pharma, and corrupt Senators, all with their snouts in the cash trough. The ordinary US taxpayer is paying a fortune to be ripped off. It is glaringly obvious that the US could learn by studying the European systems, if only they had the humility to do that.

2 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Thanks - I checked out a few i.e.

 

Switzerland - compulsory private insurance

Belgium - compulsory private health insurance

Germany - mix of compulsory and private health insurance

Japan - compulsory health care financial contribution / insurance

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears compulsory private health insurance is in reality a tax funding welfare state type of universal health care. 

 

Well yes all the Northern European systems are basically similar, and mix private and public contributions, but the element of compulsion makes it a state responsibility. If you pay tax, which is then added to by the employer (Public or private) for healthcare, that is the "Welfare state" which makes said countries civilised. Unfortunately in the UK the self employed don't have this additional support.  

Trump deserves condemnation as often as it can be dished out. At this stage, he is getting an exceptionally low number of decisions, statements, policies, and guesses right. And he has come up with absolutely zero on 42 months, to replace Obamacare with. I am not fond of Obamacare. It has driven up costs dramatically. But, if you are going to open you big mouth and criticize your opponent on health care, when you promised you would find something better, then did nothing, it sounds a bit inane and toothless. 

 

Trump is faltering in a way I never thought I would see happen. He looks weak, feeble, feckless, anemic, and rather lackluster. He is going to lose badly. He is going to be humiliated in a way he never has before. I cannot wait to see that happens. The planet waits with baited breath. 

Is the Trump administration on a suicide mission? With no alternative being legislated:

 

 The Trump administration on Thursday night urged the Supreme Court to strike down Obamacare, pushing forward with its attack on the health care law as millions of newly jobless Americans may come to depend on its coverage.

 

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/25/trump-supreme-court-overturn-obamacare-340851

8 hours ago, webfact said:

 

"It's cruel, it's heartless, it's callous,"

It’s trump. 

6 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

At this point I would honestly consider Medicare for All if just one single mainstream politician would lay it out in a way that ticks all the boxes and the math adds up, but they dont. 

Meh. Literally every single OECD country. Better health outcomes for half the money.  
 

But, you’re Americans, and you’re all special. So it won’t work.  
 

Then someone will scream ‘socialism’ and you’ll all faint from shock.