Joe Biden is taking an aggressive approach to defending Obamacare, challenging not just President Donald Trump but also some of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination who want to replace the current insurance system with a fully government-run model.
Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, speaks at a campaign stop, Saturday, July 13, 2019, in Londonderry, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The former vice president will spend much of the coming week talking about his approach to health care, including remarks he’ll deliver on Monday in Iowa at a presidential forum sponsored by AARP.
His almost singular focus on the 2010 health care law has been on display recently during campaign stops in the early voting states.
In Iowa, he declared himself “against any Republican (and) any Democrat who wants to scrap” Obamacare.
Later in New Hampshire, he said “we should not be scrapping Obamacare, we should be building on it,” a reference to his approach to add a government insurance plan known as the public option to existing exchanges that sell private insurance.
Biden is hoping his positioning as Obamacare’s chief defender could be helpful on several fronts.
It’s a reminder of his close work alongside President Barack Obama, who remains popular among Democratic voters. And it could reinforce his pitch as a sensible centrist promising to rise above between the strident cacophony of Trump and Democrats including Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, all single-payer advocates.
Perhaps as important, it’s an opportunity for Biden to go on offense ahead of the next presidential debate at the end of July.
Biden has spent the past several weeks on defense reversing his position on taxpayer funding for abortions and highlighting his past work with segregationist senators.
Harris slammed him during the first debate, blasting the segregationist comment and criticizing his opposition to federal busing orders to desegregate public schools during the same era.
Each of the episodes raised questions about whether Biden can maintain his front-runner status.
In New Hampshire over the weekend, it was clear Biden wanted to turn the tables as he touted the idea of a “Medicare-like” plan that any American could buy as opposed to a “Medicare-for-all” that would be imposed on everyone.
“I think one of the most significant things we’ve done in our administration is pass the Affordable Care Act,” Biden said. “I don’t know why we’d get rid of what in fact was working and move to something totally new. And so, there are differences.”
He argued that some of his opponents, with the exception of Sanders, aren’t fairly representing the consequences of their proposals.
“Bernie’s been very honest about it,” Biden said. “He said you’re going to have to raise taxes on the middle class. He said it’s going to end all private insurance. I mean, he’s been straightforward about it. And he’s making his case.”
Asked specifically whether Harris has been honest about how her plan would affect private insurance, Biden said, “I’ll let you guys make that judgment.” /gsg