Health Care Provisions in Build Back Better Will Meet the Demands of the American People and Achieve President Biden’s Goal to Lower Costs for American Families
President Biden made clear at his press conference that his Build Back Better Act is the most effective way to “address the biggest costs that working families face every day.” Democrats in Congress – including Senators Manchin and Sinema – and the American people agree that reducing health care costs is a top priority. The Build Back Better not only lowers drug prices by ending the status quo where drug companies get to dictate prices, but also extends coverage to millions by closing the Medicaid coverage gap and drives down premium costs for people like small business owners and farmers purchasing insurance on their own. These are kitchen table issues that bring people of all parties together.
Reducing Health Care Costs Is A Top Priority For President Biden
“My Build Back Better plan will address the biggest costs that working families face every day. No other plan will do more to lower the costs for American families…My Build Back Better plan cuts the price of prescription drugs…And it will do all of this without raising a single penny in taxes on people making under $400,000 a year or raising the deficit. In fact, my plan cuts the deficit and it boosts the economy by getting more people into the workforce. That’s why 17 Nobel prize winners for economics say it will ease long-term inflationary pressure. The bottom line: If price increases are what you’re worried about, the best answer is my Build Back Better plan.” [President Biden Press Conference, 1/19/22]
“As we keep up our fight against the pandemic, it is more important than ever that we continue to expand coverage and lower costs. My Build Back Better Act would do just that — reducing premiums for more than nine million Americans, covering four million Americans in states that have failed to expand Medicaid, expanding Medicare to include hearing coverage, lowering prescription drug costs, and bringing down the price of insulin to no more than $35 for a month’s supply. My Build Back Better Act represents the single most consequential expansion of affordable health care since the Affordable Care Act a decade ago. We will press forward on passing Build Back Better, work to cut health care costs, and deliver greater peace of mind to American families.” [President Biden Statement, 12/22/21]
Senator Manchin Supported Efforts To Lower Premiums And Reduce Costs In The American Rescue Plan
“The ACA continues to serve as a lifeline for thousands of West Virginians and provides quality, affordable healthcare coverage. And last March, I voted for the American Rescue Plan which continues to provide lower premiums and cheaper health plans for West Virginians.” [Senator Manchin Press Release, 1/14/22]
“Senator Manchin believes that every American deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare. He has always said that our nation’s current system is in need of repair but we cannot simply repeal without a replacement. Senator Manchin believes that effective healthcare reform should expand access to coverage.” [Senator Manchin Official Website, Visited 1/20/22]
Senator Sinema Knows That Reducing Health Care Costs Is A Major Priority
“We need to make health care more affordable, lower prescription drug prices, and fix the problems in the system – not go back to letting insurance companies call all the shots.” [@KyrstenSinema, 3/9/18]
“The issue I hear about most back home is the cost of healthcare. […] We can and must come together to increase competition and innovation, drive down costs and improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare.” [Kyrsten Sinema, Senate Special Aging Committee Hearing, 3/6/19]
Polling Confirms, The Most Popular Provisions In Build Back Better Are Health Care Priorities.
Navigator Poll Confirms Health Care Remains Most Important Reason to Pass Build Back Better. “Top reasons cited as good reasons to pass the plan are lowering health insurance costs, giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices, expanding Medicare, and raising taxes on the wealthy.” [Navigator Research, 11/11/21]
- Health Reforms Remain Top Priorities For Americans Across The Political Spectrum. 82 percent support lowering health insurance premiums, 80 percent support lowering premiums for individuals purchasing insurance on their own, and 80 percent support allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs. [Navigator Research, 11/11/21]
Navigator Poll Finds Majority of Americans Believe Build Back Better Will Lower Premiums. Nearly seven in 10 Americans believe Democrat’s Build Back Better Act will lower the price of health insurance for millions of middle-class Americans and working families who buy their own insurance. [1/12/22]