In a rare joint appearance, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to visit North Carolina on Tuesday, aiming to challenge Republicans on health care, an issue they believe could be pivotal in the upcoming November elections. The visit coincides with the Supreme Court hearing arguments on access to the abortion medication mifepristone, a decision that could significantly impact abortion rights.
The Democratic leaders’ visit is intended to highlight the stark contrast between their vision for health care and reproductive rights and the proposals put forth by Republicans. This comes in the wake of a campaign push criticizing former President Donald Trump for his threats to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) if re-elected.
“President Biden, Vice President Harris and Democrats want to expand access, make health care more affordable for everyone and defend reproductive freedom,” said Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to the president. “Republicans want to gut health care, raise prices, and rip away those basic reproductive freedoms even more than they have already been endangered.”
The visit to North Carolina is part of the president’s post-State of the Union tour, which has included stops in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, New Hampshire, and Texas. The Biden campaign views North Carolina as a potential pickup opportunity in the November elections, following Biden’s narrow loss to Trump in the state in 2020.
Biden and Harris are expected to focus on the recent Republican Study Committee budget proposal, which calls for significant changes and cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA. In contrast, the Democratic leaders will highlight the success of the ACA and discuss efforts to expand access to health care and lower prescription drug costs.
The campaign believes that reproductive rights will be a key issue for voters in the November elections. The popularity of the ACA and proposals to lower health care and prescription drug costs are also expected to resonate with voters.
The Republican Study Committee’s fiscal year 2025 budget proposal has been seized upon by Democrats as evidence of how Republicans would govern on health care issues if they win the White House and control of Congress this fall.
The proposed budget calls for ending federal premium subsidies for middle- and higher-income Americans, eliminating protections for individuals with preexisting conditions, and making changes to Medicaid programs in states. The changes to the ACA, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) would slash $4.5 trillion in federal spending over a decade, according to the White House.
Meanwhile, Biden has been highlighting his health care achievements, including a record number of people signing up for 2024 coverage in the ACA exchanges and his efforts to reduce drug prices. Biden has also called for making the enhanced Obamacare subsidies permanent, expanding the caps on insulin and out-of-pocket drug costs to those with private insurance, and providing Medicaid-like coverage to low-income adults in states that haven’t expanded Medicaid.
Biden will also use the North Carolina campaign stop to highlight the state’s recent expansion of health insurance coverage to more than 400,000 residents, thanks to the ACA. In December, North Carolina became the 40th state to expand Medicaid to low-income adults.
The president’s visit also comes against the backdrop of what’s expected to be one of this year’s most competitive governor’s races. Attorney General Josh Stein, a moderate Democrat, and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a right-wing firebrand with a history of inflammatory comments, are set to face off in November’s contest to replace Gov. Roy Cooper, who is term-limited.