(February 6, 2024 at 12:27 pm)Aegon Wrote:(February 5, 2024 at 10:33 pm)Belacqua Wrote: Do you live in the US? I haven't been in years, but when I talk to family there the only motivation they have for voting is "not Trump."
Can you mention some things that Biden has done which would motivate the rank and file to vote for him?
Brian's list has a number of questionable points.
Not only do I live in the US, but I am a policy director at an association in DC. So I am intimately familiar with the actions of the 118th Congress and federal agencies under Biden... well, at least when it comes to healthcare. That's my issue area. I know fuck-all about anything else. But from the healthcare perspective, I honestly believe the Inflation Reduction Act was pretty impressive.
-Extended ACA subsidies through 2025 (Obamacare or state exchange coverage would be unaffordable for most otherwise, there's a reason the exchanges saw record-breaking enrollment this OEP)
-Grants the Secretary of HHS the ability to negotiate drug prices on behalf of the Medicare program (massive, awesome and historical development; PhRMA is pissed)
-Drug manufacturers are going to now be penalized if the price of their products rise faster than inflation (applies to the most expensive Part B and Part D drugs; PhRMA is also pissed about this one)
-For Medicare beneficiaries, it caps the out-of-pocket costs of insulin at $35/month
-For Medicare beneficiaries, they will no longer need to pay 100% of their out-of-pocket costs for Rx at the pharmacy counter. Starting in 2025, they'll be able to pay over the course of the plan year
HHS, CMS, and DOL have also rolled back the stupid regulations that Trump admin passed... loosening rules around Association Health Plans, approving conservative states' questionable 1332 innovation waivers... but that stuff isn't really media-worthy, it's too "in the weeds" for easy talking points.
That being said, I am personally a leftist. I supported Bernie in 2016 and 2020, and I wrote-in Vermin Supreme in both general elections. (Not that it matters, I live in a city with no representation that has literally never voted Republican.) So I understand where you're coming from. You also have to remember that most Americans are not as far left as we are, and what they think is "left" is a joke. That can be true, and it can ALSO be true that Biden accomplished a solid amount in the healthcare sphere. You also need to remember that his whole policy was "strengthen and protect the ACA," which he most certainly did. Lots of liberal elites out there love the ACA but hate single-payer. He delivered on that promise, for those people.
But I think this points to a larger issue in our politics - IT'S ALL CULTURE WAR. Nonstop. Nothing else. All economic discussion has fallen to the wayside, except general complaints about inflation. It's all about which team you rep, nothing else matters. You acknowledged this and I agree with you. It's absurd. That's why I am BEGGING Democrats to stop the "I'm not Trump" argument and run on ECONOMICS. But for some reason they really think doubling down on culture war nonsense and saying "I'm not Trump" for the third time will do it.
Excellent! Real information from somebody who really knows something! Many thanks for this.
Yes, all the provisions in the Inflation Act that you list sound like serious improvements. They also sound like things that a Dem is far more likely to accomplish than a Rep.
Absolutely these are things that Biden should be running on. It's strange that they aren't being trumpeted at every rally.
Since I'm accustomed to the Japanese system, the ACA has always seemed obscure and over-complicated. But I'm happy to hear that the Biden administration has worked to make these improvements.
And you're right, I'm sure, that culture war grandstanding is taking attention away from this sort of thing that we really ought to be focussing on.
Thank you again!
