President Joe Biden touted his administration’s accomplishments in well being care in a wide-ranging State of the Union tackle on Thursday night that touched on topics corresponding to immigration, the financial system, crime, job development, infrastructure, and the Israel-Hamas struggle.
With Biden and former President Donald Trump now the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees, Biden used the roughly 68-minute speech to counter his lackluster public approval rankings and draw clear contrasts between his administration’s insurance policies and people of Trump and a few congressional Republicans. However he by no means talked about Trump by identify, as a substitute referring to him as his “predecessor.”
Biden got here out swinging, talking about freedom and democracy, and help for Ukraine and NATO. And he reminded lawmakers that historical past is watching.
Our PolitiFact partners fact-checked the controversy in actual time. Learn the full coverage here.
Early within the speech, Biden pointed to the current Alabama Supreme Court decision that successfully shut down in vitro fertilization therapies throughout the state, though its governor signed a bill into legislation March 6 to protect sufferers and suppliers from potential authorized legal responsibility.
Biden challenged his “buddies throughout the aisle” to “assure the appropriate to IVF nationwide,” and related this situation on to the 2022 Supreme Courtroom determination overturning Roe v. Wade.
White Home company for the speech included Latorya Beasley of Birmingham, Alabama, whose IVF therapies had been canceled due to her state’s courtroom determination; and Kate Cox, who was denied an emergency abortion by the Texas Supreme Courtroom. Members of the Democratic Ladies’s Caucus sat en bloc, carrying white to point out solidarity for reproductive rights.
“Like most People, I imagine Roe v. Wade bought it proper,” Biden mentioned, including that his “predecessor” got here to workplace “decided” to see it overturned and has bragged about its undoing. “Clearly, these bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade haven’t any clue in regards to the energy of girls in America.”
Biden’s different well being care hits included the primary steps in implementing Medicare drug price negotiations, one thing on Democrats’ longtime coverage want record that turned legislation as a part of the Inflation Discount Act he signed in August 2022. He famous that the federal medical health insurance program for seniors is now — for the primary time — negotiating decrease costs for a few of the costliest medication in the marketplace. He pointed not solely to the financial savings it will deliver seniors, but additionally to the federal finances. At the moment, 10 medication are on the record, which might be added to in future years. Biden known as for an enlargement of this system: “Now it’s time to go additional and provides Medicare the facility to barter decrease costs for 500 medication over the following decade.”
He additionally claimed victory with different Medicare-related changes in that legislation — together with a $35 insulin value cap and a $2,000 value cap on Medicare out-of-pocket drug bills. In every of case, he challenged Congress to behave with him to broaden these steps to incorporate everybody.
When it got here to the Inexpensive Care Act, he mentioned it’s “nonetheless a really massive deal” and pledged not solely to guard it, but additionally to broaden it by working to make permanent the tax subsidies first superior on the peak of the covid-19 pandemic to make medical health insurance extra reasonably priced.
“My predecessor and lots of on this chamber need to take that safety away by repealing the Inexpensive Care Act; I received’t let that occur,” he mentioned, drawing heckles from opponents within the viewers.
Afterward, some Republicans, together with Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), mentioned the tackle was overly partisan. Trump slammed it, telling Fox Information that Biden “suffers from a terminal case of Trump derangement syndrome.” And Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) gave the GOP response.
Listed here are well being care highlights from PolitiFact:
“The Alabama Supreme Courtroom shut down IVF therapies throughout the state, unleashed by a Supreme Courtroom determination overturning Roe v. Wade.”
On Feb. 16, the Alabama Supreme Courtroom issued a ruling that mentioned frozen embryos needs to be thought of kids.
The choice lacks the facility to close down in vitro fertilization therapies statewide. But it surely induced multiple clinics within the state to pause IVF therapies as they reviewed the choice and potential liabilities.
Since then, Alabama lawmakers passed legislation to protect IVF suppliers from civil or prison legal responsibility in a rush to guard fertility therapies after backlash grew. Two clinics announced they had been resuming operations after Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed the legislation.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Unwell.) — who had two daughters utilizing in vitro fertilization — launched a similar federal bill aimed toward defending IVF. However Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) blocked it Feb. 28, saying it was a “huge overreach that is stuffed with poison tablets that go approach too far — far past guaranteeing authorized entry to IVF.”
“In case you, the American individuals, ship me a Congress that helps the appropriate to decide on, I promise you: I’ll restore Roe v. Wade because the legislation of the land once more.”
PolitiFact continues to charge Biden’s promise to codify Roe v. Wade as “Stalled.”
Biden known as on Congress to assist him obtain his 2020 marketing campaign promise to codify Roe v. Wade.
He can’t do it alone.
The Supreme Courtroom dominated in 2022 to overturn Roe, ending almost 50 years of federally protected abortion entry.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) launched the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2023, which might prohibit governmental restrictions on entry to abortion. But it surely has no Republican co-sponsors and didn’t advance.
PolitiFact has been monitoring Biden’s marketing campaign promise to codify Roe v. Wade, one among about 100 guarantees on the Biden Promise Tracker. The shortage of 10 Republicans wanted to beat an anticipated filibuster has stalled Biden’s efforts on codification. That impediment remained even after Democrats stored slim management of the Senate within the midterms.
“People pay extra for pharmaceuticals than anyplace on this planet.”
PolitiFact rated an identical declare by Biden as “Mostly True.”
U.S. per capita spending on pharmaceuticals is sort of 3 times the common of different superior, industrialized international locations that comprise the Group for Financial Co-operation and Improvement. A study by the Rand Corp., a nonpartisan analysis group, discovered that, throughout all medication, U.S. costs had been 2.78 instances as excessive because the mixed costs in 33 OECD international locations.
The hole was even bigger for brand-name medication, with U.S. costs averaging 4.22 instances as a lot as these compared nations. The U.S. pays lower than comparable nations for unbranded, generic medication, which account for about 90% of crammed prescriptions within the nation but make up solely one-fifth of prescription drug spending.
Researchers say elements together with country-specific pricing, confidential rebates, and different reductions can obscure precise costs, making comparisons tougher.
