Jan. 24 (UPI) — The White House on Wednesday praised the announcement that 21.3 million people now have signed up for Affordable Care Act coverage, a new record with nearly a week left before the deadline.
The Biden administration said it marked the third straight year that Obamacare coverage set participant records after numbers lagged under former President Donald Trump and the threat by Republicans to repeal it or replace it.
The numbers are likely to tick up with the sign-up deadline of Jan. 31.
New sign-ups were aided by lower premiums ushered in by the Inflation Reduction Act.
President Joe Biden has called on Congress to make those changes permanent and has made it part of his 2024 campaign.
Wednesday’s new numbers gave the president a platform to cast his efforts against Republicans’ “different vision” for Obamacare, which he did in a White House statement.
“[The announcement] means 9 million more people have gained coverage under the law — and peace of mind since I took office,” Biden said. “It’s no accident. My actions to protect the Affordable Care Act and lower premiums continue to make a big difference.
“We need to build on the progress we’ve made by making lower premiums permanent. But Republicans in Congress have a different vision. Their recent budget would get rid of the improvements I signed into law, raising the costs for millions of people.”
Trump, the leading GOP primary candidate, has promised the replace Obamacare with what he says is a better plan but has yet to go into details about what he has in mind.
Biden warned that Trump’s proposed efforts would cause chaos for millions of Americans who are now covered.
“Repealing the Affordable Care Act would throw these 21 million people off their coverage, and end Medicaid coverage for millions more. It would return to the days when insurance companies could rip Americans off by denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, charge women more than men, and make older adults pay astronomical healthcare premiums based on their age.”
