Upon his return to the White House for the first time since leaving office in 2017, former President Barack Obama called Joe Biden by his old title: ‘Vice President Biden.’
‘That was a joke,’ Obama said while taking the podium to celebrate his signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act. He then gave Biden a hug.
‘That was all set up. My president, Joe Biden.’
Later upon taking the podium, Biden went continued the banter: ‘My name is Joe Biden and I am Barack Obama’s Vice President.’
The duo was reunited to celebrate the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, and share steps the White House is improve the legislation and make healthcare more affordable for Americans.
The new measure is expected to fix an element of the act that prevents millions of Americans from qualifying for subsidies, and would also save hundreds of dollars a month for hundreds of thousands of families.
‘Nothing made me prouder than providing better healthcare and protections to more people across the country,’ Obama said. ‘So when President Biden said he wasn’t just going to celebrate the ACA, but announce actions that would make it even better, I had to show up.’
At least 30 million Americans have gotten healthcare from the act, Obama said.
‘We are incredibly proud of that work, but the reason we’re here today is because President Biden, Vice President Harris, everybody that’s worked on this thin understood from the start that the ACA wasn’t perfect,’ Obama said.
‘There were gaps to be filled, even today some patients still pay too much for their prescriptions, some poor Americans are still falling through the cracks, in some cases health care subsidies are not where we want them to be – which means some working families are still having trouble paying for their coverage,’ he added.
Obama then referred to the act as a ‘starter home,’ saying that it would need renovations over time to make it better.
‘It secured the principle of universal healthcare, provided help immediately to families, but required us to continually build on it and make it better. And President Biden understands that,’ Obama said.
He applauded the Biden Administration for their commitment to ‘making the program work’ by lowering premiums for nearly 1 million Americans and provide coverage for an additional 200,000 people who are uninsured.
Obama then introduced Biden, who reminisced about being back in the White House with his former governing partner for the first time since 2017.
‘The Affordable Care Act has been called a lot of things, but Obamacare is the most fitting,’ Biden said.
‘Healthcare should be a right not a privilege,’ he added. ‘Twelve years ago last month we made a good effort toward that proposition.’
‘When you [Obama} signed the Affordable Care Act into law it became the most consequential piece of legislation since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. It made a difference in people’s lives every day,’ Biden said.
The President noted he made a promise to continue improving the bill from the moment he stepped into the White House.
Biden then signed an executive order that directs federal agencies to do everything in their power to expand quality and affordable healthcare coverage.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke first during the remarks, introducing the former President. She also called the Affordable Care Act the most consequential piece of healthcare legislation passed in generations.
Harris also called on Congress to make the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are included in the American Rescue Plan permanent. The subsidies are currently set to expire in December.
Before Tuesday’s announcement Biden and Obama had lunch together, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki shared.
‘They are real friends, not just Washington friends, and so I’m sure they will talk about events in the world as well as their families and personal lives,’ Psaki told reporters ahead of the remarks on Monday.
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