Vice President Joe Biden made a big push for Obamacare this weekend, in a move that could fuel even more 2016 speculation.
In an op-ed featured in the Des Moines (Iowa) Register, Biden touted the debut of "the most significant part of Obamacare," and explained Tuesday's online health care exchange introduction.
Biden defended President Barack Obama's push for universal health care, applauding him for committing to address "American's broken health care system" despite taking office "in the middle of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression" and facing the disproval of countless skeptics:
The president never yielded during the health care debate. He never forgot why we ran, who we’d come to serve, and mostly, the security and dignity that we could provide the middle class if we were willing to fight. And so we did. We fought to bring affordable health care to all Americans, and because of the president’s insistence — and persistence — we are delivering.
Biden has played an active role in the final push leading up to the key health care provisions' debut, making phone calls, publishing opinion pieces and participating in interviews to support the legislation. Biden aims to ensure Americans understand the options becoming available to them:
It used to be that buying insurance was a nightmare, especially if you’d been sick before. Some people couldn’t find a single insurance company that would offer them a plan. For others, the only options were wildly expensive. Very few people could comparison shop, so you never knew if you were getting the best deal.
After Tuesday, it’ll never be that way again. Companies won’t be able to use your medical history to determine how much to charge you. They won’t be able to charge you more just because you’re a woman. They’ll have to be transparent about what they’re offering and compete against each other. It’s going to make a world of difference.
The op-ed has been viewed as a move that stirs speculation surrounding a 2016 presidential bid, especially given the role the state of Iowa has played in previous elections.
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