WILMINGTON, Del. – President-elect Joe Biden made a promise to take care of all Americans healthcare as if they were his own family despite President Donald Trump’s continued refusal to concede.
Speaking from his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, Biden along with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris laid out their plan to expand the Affordable Care Act (ACA). They said the coronavirus pandemic only highlighted the need to give every American healthcare and need to be taken care of.
“Beginning on Jan. 20, Vice President-elect Harris and I will do everything we can to ease the burden of health care on you and your family,” Biden said.
Harris said Biden’s election victory over Mr. Trump was a sign the American people do not trust the President to get things done and served as a mandate for expanding access to health care and health insurance.
“Each and every vote for Joe Biden was a statement that healthcare in America should be a right and not a privilege,” she said. “Each and every vote for Joe Biden was a vote to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act, not to tear it away in the midst of a global pandemic.”
Biden’s remarks come on the same day as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments over continuing the 2010 healthcare law. However, they also reflected the health and healthcare issues occupy in an upcoming Biden administration.
The former Vice President made it clear that his team was working now on getting all the fine details ironed out and said his top priority is to help American families sooner rather than later. Expanding the ACA to include a government-administered health insurance option was one of the key components of Biden’s run.
“My transition team will be starting its work to flush out the details so we can hit the ground running, tackling costs, increasing access, lowering the price of prescription drugs. Families are reeling right now. They need a lifeline and they need it now,” said Biden.
Biden took questions from the media and was asked about Mr. Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the election and concede but said the Trump administration’s refusal to authorize the start of the official transition process did nothing to stop him from working.
“We have already started the transition; we are well underway,” Biden said. He went on to add about Mr. Trump’s refusal to acknowledge his loss: “I just think it’s an embarrassment, quite frankly.”
Mr. Trump’s campaign has filed lawsuits in several states over unfounded claims of voter fraud. Earlier on Tuesday, the President put out a tweet saying he will win the election despite him trailing Biden in three states and currently losing the popular vote by over five million votes.
Biden dismissed any of Mr. Trump’s theories or tweets, saying he is focused on getting his administration and working on behalf of the American people.
“We’re going to be moving along in a consistent manner, putting together our administration within the White House and reviewing who we’re going to pick for the Cabinet positions,” said Biden. “And nothing’s going to stop that.”
“The fact that they’re not willing to acknowledge that we won at this point is not of much consequence in our planning and what we’re able to do between now and Jan. 20,” he added.
As of this writing, the Trump administration has not engaged in any way with the Biden transition effort. Biden did say it would be “useful” for him to to begin receiving the full Presidential Daily Briefings that are normally given to President-elect’s but said he can still work despite not having that at the moment.
