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Washington Post: Inside House Democrats' tug of war over health-care expansions

By Rachel Roubein

Washington, D.C., September 13, 2021
Tags: Health
Moderates are more focused on expanding Obamacare than on expanding Medicare

The health-care battle is on.

 

Democrats are tussling over which health priorities will get the most cash in President Biden’s massive social spending package. Liberals are pitching a wide-ranging agenda — one that centers on a massive expansion of Medicare for older adults. But one large faction of Democrats has gotten noticeably less attention.

Meet the crowd focused on shoring up Obamacare.

The House’s New Democrat Coalition is a moderate-leaning group of about 95 members. In conversations with White House staff as recently as Friday, the group has been hellbent on one thing: complete the work of the Affordable Care Act.

What that translates to: 

  • A permanent extension of new financial assistance for ACA enrollees. In March, Biden’s coronavirus relief bill temporarily boosted subsidies for lower-income Americans and extended financial help to many middle-income families for the first time, but the provision only lasts two years.
  • Health coverage for 2.2 million Americans. Democrats are planning to expand Medicaid in the dozen states that have refused the Obamacare program for nearly a decade, and the coalition wants a permanent fix prioritized. 

“We want to provide coverage for people who have none, and that has to be the top priority versus expanding coverage for folks who already have it,” Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), the coalition’s chair, told The Health 202.

Click here to read the full article on the Washington Post.

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