Biden and House leader Pelosi want the Affordable Care Act which has private insurance also to be extended will money already in the passed Stimulus law….
Senator Sanders wants to expand Medicare eligibility down 5 years and expand it too cover dental, vision and hearing care as a step towards Universal healthcare for all Americans…
The President is about to propose increased healthcare coverage as the second part of his upcoming Infrastructure program for Congress to approve….
Sanders is betting that he can get some of his wish in increasing health coverage for seniors who tend to vote more regularly then other age groups….
He knows he knows Biden will be more inclined to support Obamacare increases since it was Biden and Obama who brought the increasing popular healthcare plan thru Congress more than. 10 years ago…
“Either one would be a blessing. There’s good arguments for both,” said Harold Pollack, a public health researcher at the University of Chicago, of the bids by Sanders and Pelosi. “I hope Democrats coalesce around whichever is most politically feasible and get it done.”
Still, tensions persist.
Biden’s rescue plan included expanded subsidies for very poor Americans and also extended them to those whose income is above 400 percent of the federal poverty level. That cost about $45 billion for two years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan group.
“There’s been a robust conversation in the health-care [space] about the best uses of the savings,” said Leslie Dach, an Obama administration health official who is now chair of Protect Our Care, which advocates ACA expansion.
Dach said focusing on expanding the ACA delivers “the most health care for the buck,” noting that having insurance throughout one’s life improves long-term health outcomes. “Getting those folks covered really delivers a lot of health care, particularly to communities of color. … There’s a sense the ACA and Medicaid, which get people in the program early, have a lot of benefits.” Dach said there is also agreement on limiting out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare enrollees.
Still, some advocacy groups are adamant that Biden increase the scope of public health programs, rather than putting more funding into plans that run through private health insurers.
Lawson said it was a “no-brainer” for Biden to demonstrate to seniors, a crucial voting demographic, that he was working on their behalf.
About half of Americans ages 65 to 80 lack dental insurance, according to University of Michigan researchers. As many as 23 million Americans would newly qualify for health insurance if the Medicare enrollment age is lowered to 60, Sanders’s office said in a statement, adding that half of Medicare recipients have not seen a dentist over the past year.
“Before the next election, we need the American people — and particularly seniors, who have suffered so much during this pandemic — to see that this government is working for them,” Lawson said. “People would get hearing aids, get their teeth checked, before the next election. That will show them Biden is on their side. Democrats have to deliver for seniors if they are going to win.”….
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott says Texas May have achieved “herd immunity” from Covid.
Unsurprisingly,the claim has been greeted with derision by scientists and doctors.
Texas does seem to seem to in a world of its own…
… not to mention the Lone Star State’s very own power grid …
Going it alone has its disadvantages when things get sideways…. Yup,,.
I sincerely hope the demand for getting vaccinated among Texans doesn’t drop due to Abbots moronic statement.
So irresponsible.
So Texas?