Enrollment in Medicaid also reached a record high of 81 million Americans early this year. The spikes reflect the growing demand for health insurance during the pandemic, as well as its greater affordability.
President Biden ordered the reopening of Affordable Care Act exchanges and moved to restore coverage mandates and Medicaid plans undermined by his predecessor.
Philip Esformes was sentenced last year to 20 years for Medicare fraud. Then a well-connected organization supported by his family weighed in with the White House.
A new rule would base the price Medicare pays for certain drugs on the lowest price paid among similar countries. But a rushed process means legal challenges are likely.
Democrats will look to portray Judge Barrett as an ideologue who would throw out the Affordable Care Act and Roe v. Wade. Republicans will seek to keep the hearings moving speedily.
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.
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.