Former President Barack Obama said that his signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act, should be expanded in future years, arguing that the ACA should be seen as a “first step” to better healthcare.
“We’re not finished yet,” Obama said in a video promoting the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago next year. “I’ve always said that the ACA is like a starter house, it was a big step forward, but still just a first step. Now it’s up to all of us to keep building on and improving the ACA.”
The former president’s video was posted on X, where Obama captioned the post by arguing that people should “keep fighting for progress.”
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“I know it can feel like a different era sometimes. But 15 years ago, I signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Now nearly 50 million people have received healthcare through the ACA,” Obama said. “With everything going on right now, it’s easy to feel like regular folks can’t make a difference – but the Affordable Care Act is a reminder that change is possible when we keep fighting for progress.”
Despite the Obama plea, an expansion of the ACA, which was often dubbed “ObamaCare,” seems unlikely under the leadership of President Donald Trump.
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Trump, who replaced Obama in the White House after winning the 2016 election, made a push to repeal the legislation in 2017, an effort that ultimately fell short in the Senate.
Trump once again targeted the ACA with his landmark “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” legislation of 2017, which was passed into law and contained a provision that eliminated the ACA’s controversial individual mandate.
Nevertheless, Obama signaled optimism that Americans could work together to build off the legislation he ushered into existence in 2010.
“If it could happen 15 years ago, it can happen again,” Obama said. “The ACA taught us that some things are bigger than politics.”
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