It will also address reproductive health in a presidential memo.
President Joe Biden will address the health care issue on Thursday with two executive actions aimed at expanding registrations for the Affordable Care Act amid the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing reproductive health, according to the White House.
The actions continue a series of executive moves by Biden in his first week in office, setting an ambitious tone for his administration in various political areas.
On Thursday, Biden is expected to sign an executive order that will open a special registration period amid a pandemic that has already claimed the lives of nearly 430,000 Americans, according to a report describing Biden’s planned actions.
Through the executive order, the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to open a three-month registration period, from February 15 to May 15, at Healthcare.gov, allowing more Americans to apply for health care as the COVID-19 continues to engulf the country.
“Reliable and affordable access to health insurance is not just for the health of families; it is a critical source of economic security and peace of mind for all ”, argued the government in the newsletter.
The executive action will seek to strengthen the Affordable Care Act that Biden hopes to expand during his administration, as well as Medicaid, asking agencies to “reexamine” their current policies that could undermine protections and access to care.
The move would be the president’s first step towards fulfilling his 2020 campaign pledge to expand the Affordable Care Act to provide healthcare to all Americans as a “right, not a privilege”.
Biden will also address the issue of reproductive health in a presidential memo on Thursday, rescinding the “Mexico City Policy”, often referred to as the global gag rule, which was expanded by President Donald Trump and which blocks funding for USA for international nonprofit organizations that provide counseling or referral for abortion.
Biden’s decision to reverse the rule, which is often extended under Republican presidents, follows in the footsteps of his Democratic predecessors, former President Bill Clinton and former President Barack Obama.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about Biden’s plans for the rule in her first press release at the White House on January 20, to which she said the government would have more to say about politics ” in the next days”.
Biden will also seek to expand access to family planning and reproductive care for low-income individuals, and urged HHS to “take immediate steps to consider whether to terminate its Title X family planning program regulations,” according to the memo.
Biden is expected to sign the shares alongside Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday afternoon, according to the White House.