By Lindsay Killen, The Hill
It comes as no surprise that the Biden administration has taken ambitious early action to expand the federal government’s jurisdiction over access to health care. After all, President Biden was vice president and an influential advisor in the Obama administration, when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enlarged the federal government’s role in determining health care access and costs, and greatly constricted options for patients.
Indeed, no one should be surprised by his latest series of executive orders that direct federal agencies to reexamine — and likely revoke — a number of Trump administration rules that had returned some autonomy to patients and state governments. And it’s no surprise that Biden also mandated a reopening of the ObamaCare insurance exchanges from Feb. 15 through May 15, presumably so the administration can shift more individuals from private to public coverage. What’s unlikely — but would be of great value — would be for the Biden administration to go to war against hospital monopolies.
