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 reminiscent of immigration, the financial system, crime, job progress, 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 scores 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 assist 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 remedies throughout the state, though its governor signed a bill into legislation March 6 to defend sufferers and suppliers from potential authorized legal responsibility.
Biden challenged his “pals throughout the aisle” to “assure the fitting to IVF nationwide,” and related this problem on to the 2022 Supreme Court docket choice overturning Roe v. Wade.
White Home company for the speech included Latorya Beasley of Birmingham, Alabama, whose IVF remedies had been canceled due to her state’s courtroom choice; and Kate Cox, who was denied an emergency abortion by the Texas Supreme Court docket. Members of the Democratic Girls’s Caucus sat en bloc, carrying white to indicate solidarity for reproductive rights.
“Like most People, I imagine Roe v. Wade acquired 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 don’t have any clue in regards to the energy of ladies 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 checklist that grew to become 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 medicine available on the market. He pointed not solely to the financial savings it might carry seniors, but in addition to the federal funds. At present, 10 medicine may be added to the checklist yearly. 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 medicine over the subsequent decade.”
He additionally claimed victory with different Medicare-related changes in that legislation — together with a $35 insulin worth cap and a $2,000 worth cap on Medicare out-of-pocket drug bills. In every of case, he challenged Congress to behave with him to develop these steps to incorporate everybody.
When it got here to the Inexpensive Care Act, he mentioned it’s “nonetheless a really large deal” and pledged not solely to guard it, but in addition to develop it by working to make permanent the tax subsidies first superior on the top of the covid-19 pandemic to make medical health insurance extra inexpensive.
“My predecessor and lots of on this chamber wish 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 Court docket shut down IVF remedies throughout the state, unleashed by a Supreme Court docket choice overturning Roe v. Wade.”
On Feb. 16, the Alabama Supreme Court docket issued a ruling that mentioned frozen embryos must be thought-about youngsters.
The choice lacks the facility to close down in vitro fertilization remedies statewide. But it surely triggered multiple clinics within the state to pause IVF remedies as they reviewed the choice and potential liabilities.
Since then, Alabama lawmakers passed legislation to defend IVF suppliers from civil or prison legal responsibility in a rush to guard fertility remedies 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 geared toward defending IVF. However Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) blocked it Feb. 28, saying it was a “huge overreach that is filled with poison capsules that go method too far — far past making certain authorized entry to IVF.”
“Should you, the American individuals, ship me a Congress that helps the fitting to decide on, I promise you: I’ll restore Roe v. Wade because the legislation of the land once more.”
PolitiFact continues to fee 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 Court docket dominated in 2022 to overturn Roe, ending practically 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 in all about 100 guarantees on the Biden Promise Tracker. The dearth of 10 Republicans wanted to beat an anticipated filibuster has stalled Biden’s efforts on codification. That impediment remained even after Democrats saved slender management of the Senate within the midterms.
“People pay extra for pharmaceuticals than wherever on this planet.”
PolitiFact rated an analogous declare by Biden as “Mostly True.”
U.S. per capita spending on pharmaceuticals is almost thrice 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 medicine, U.S. costs had been 2.78 occasions as excessive because the mixed costs in 33 OECD international locations.
The hole was even bigger for brand-name medicine, with U.S. costs averaging 4.22 occasions as a lot as these as compared nations. The U.S. pays lower than comparable nations for unbranded, generic medicine, which account for about 90% of crammed prescriptions within the nation but make up solely one-fifth of prescription drug spending.
Researchers say components together with country-specific pricing, confidential rebates, and different reductions can obscure precise costs, making comparisons tougher.
