Emma Schanzenbach, MS4
One of the most hotly debated subjects in popular
American politics is Health Insurance. In 2010, President Obama heavily
supported the Affordable Care Act (ACA), to the point it was dubbed “Obamacare”
by critics and allies alike. Now, in 2021, eleven years after the ACA was
passed, many are looking to President Joe Biden to expand upon, and save, the
ACA from some of its most vocal detractors.
According to the Biden campaign’s website, the Biden
Healthcare Plan promises to: one, give every American access to affordable
healthcare, two, decrease the complexity of the healthcare system while still
maintaining quality, three, stand up to prescription drug corporations, and,
four, ensure healthcare as a right (1). While they are, indeed, lofty campaign
promises, Biden has implied that he would veto a “Medicare for All” bill if it
came across his desk (2). In contrast to this, his campaign website supports
the passage of a public option, like Medicare, under the second tenet of his
campaign healthcare promise (1). This would allow anyone, no matter their
financial situation, to choose a public option over a private insurance or
employer-based insurance plan (1). As it stands now, it is unclear what
President Biden’s exact messaging on health insurance will be. If the American
people are to take his campaign promises at face value, there would still be
many hurdles a “similar-to-Medicare for All” insurance would have to clear
before passage.
If a public option were to pass, it seems unlikely
that the option would remain completely public. For this to occur, the
government would have to have a highly functioning department to handle this
operation. When the ACA website first launched, the website crashed from the
overwhelming traffic it received. The Obama administration had to pull tech
executives to revamp the website, a task they luckily felt excited to get
behind. A public option office would likely go through much of the same issues
that the ACA website experienced. Additionally, President Biden has decided to
move forward with a COVID-19 relief plan that was largely produced by two major
insurance lobbying groups: America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross
Blue Shield Association (3). Their plan relies on subsidizing ACA plans, some
of the most expensive plans on the market, which will likely allow them to
increase the massive profits they made during the pandemic (4). Instead of a
much-needed chance for change, with health insurance lobbyists involved, the
future for a public option seems grim.
In conclusion, despite the hope many Americans feel
now that President Trump and his administration have left the office, the hope
must be that of a reserved type. The Biden campaign promises were most likely
empty, without real substance behind them. If Americans want a public health
care option, they will have to band together and fight for it. This is the only
way we will be able to create a more just and fair healthcare system. For if
2020 has taught Americans anything, it is to not rely solely on the government to
mount a response to any sort of public health crisis. 2020 has taught us, in
fact, that we can only rely on each other to hold elected officials accountable and create any sort of real,
meaningful change.
- https://joebiden.com/healthcare/
- https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/10/biden-says-he-wouldd-veto-medicare-for-all-as-coronavirus-focuses-attention-on-health.html
- https://www.jacobinmag.com/2021/01/joe-biden-public-option-health-insurance-plan
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/health/covid-insurance-profits.html
