To hear it from Vice President Joe Biden, the fight over the Affordable Care Act may be far from over but hes certainly interested in recognizing the troops who helped build support for the landmark legislation.
Biden, speaking Thursday in Washington at Families USAs 19th Health Action Conference, told the gathering of approximately 1,000 health care advocates that the success of the ACA represents a wholesale change for America.
For us to be able to say, without being contradicted, that health care is a right, not a privilege that is amazing to you and me, Biden said. Somehow our opponents thought that it wasnt a basic human right. You organized, you got people out, and you changed the conversation. And its time to say thank you. We will not go back. America has turned the page.
Bidens sometimes fiery speech, a precursor of many more ACA-centered talks hes expected to be making in the coming pre-election season, focused on the sense of hope he believes that expanded coverage has given many Americans.
Its not just about physical coverage, its also about peace of mind, Biden said. A big chunk of why I believe that health care is a right is that peace of mind dont underestimate it. Its moms and dads saying to their children that its going to be OK, something that so many parents and families have not been able to say in the past.
Biden was introduced by Cathy Stokes, a young breast cancer survivor and single mother of two who said that she was a living example of Obamacares early successes her own insurance was cancelled at the end of December, but new, more affordable and more comprehensive coverage kicked in Jan. 1.
You were the voices who said that its not OK for people to be left without insurance at the moment she needed it most, Biden said, acknowledging Stokes. You fought for decades, and because of your leadership, it was included in the ACA.
Biden discussed a seven-month-long hospitalization he endured and said he long sympathized with many friends and constituents who ended up going into bankruptcy or losing their homes to deal with major medical bills, suggesting that many of those anxieties may disappear as the ACA unfolds.
The Vice President said the biggest impact will be felt on those 129 million Americans whose pre-existing conditions made it virtually impossible to enter the individual insurance market.
And as for the bumpy unveiling of the exchanges, Biden echoed recent numbers that put enrollment levels at 2.2 million, as well as some 6.3 million who have been determined eligible for Medicaid partially due to new ACA rulings.
Biden also thanked Families USA executive director and vice president Ron Pollack, who Biden said has been involved in the fight for affordable care as long as he has himself.
We are deeply grateful for the leadership of the Obama-Biden administration, that made this possible, and we were proud that we were foot soldiers in this effort but we must keep on keeping on, Pollack added.
