“I used to sit there and watch him in bed and with pain and death from glioblastoma,” Biden said of his oldest son, who died in 2015. “And I thought to myself, what if his insurance company were able to get in , what they could have done before Obamacare passed, and they said, ‘You’ve outgrown your insurance. You’ve survived it. Suffer the last five months of your life in peace. You’re just in this.’ “
Healthcare was a central issue for Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections, and they are emphasizing it again in this election cycle, especially with the pandemic that underscores the importance of insurance coverage and patient care.
Trump took office with a promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but he and Republicans in Congress failed in their efforts to undo the healthcare law in 2017. However, the Trump administration has repeatedly tried to undermine the law, and is now asking the Supreme Court to overturn it.
“You and I both know what it’s like to have someone you love really sick and, in some cases, lose someone,” Obama told Biden in his conversation. He called the Affordable Care Act a part of the “starting house” legislation, giving Mr. Biden room to promote his proposed public health insurance option that would build on Mr. Obama’s efforts.
“But that loss is compounded when you see the stress on their faces, because they are concerned that they are a burden on their families. They are concerned if the insurance will cover the treatments they need. “
In another part of the conversation, which launched on Wednesday, the two discussed their response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing protests for racial equality. During Mr. Obama’s administration, some activists criticized the president for blocking systemic reform efforts, but there is strong agreement that he was more responsive than Mr. Trump.
Obama, the country’s first black president, touted the police accountability measures implemented in his administration, including the task of overseeing the Justice Department. He cited some cases of overt racism that still persist, including workplace discrimination.
