With its expanded subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act, the coronavirus relief bill makes insurance more affordable, and puts health care on the ballot in 2022.
The Biden administration is trying to make the health care law more generous and closer to its original design, but may disappoint progressive allies hoping for more.
President Biden ordered the reopening of Affordable Care Act exchanges and moved to restore coverage mandates and Medicaid plans undermined by his predecessor.
Under questioning by senators, Judge Amy Coney Barrett carefully avoided staking out positions on most issues, but hinted that she wouldn’t necessarily support overturning the Affordable Care Act.
The possible addition of Judge Amy Coney Barrett could create “the Trump court,” pushing it rightward. Cases on the Affordable Care Act and religious objections to gay rights could offer early clues.
Senate Democrats forced a mostly symbolic vote on the Affordable Care Act, previewing their strategy of making the Supreme Court confirmation fight a referendum on health care, a top voter concern.
The health law had slipped in voter priorities, but the Supreme Court vacancy and November arguments in a case challenging its constitutionality have given the Affordable Care Act new urgency.
The Affordable Care Act touches the lives of most Americans, and its abolition could have a significant effect on many millions more people than those who get their health coverage through it.