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On Sunday, Senator Bernie Sanders and other legislators have forwarded a letter to President Joe Biden and asked for an expansion of Medicare benefits to be included in the upcoming American Families Plan. Point to be noted that it is a roughly $1.8 trillion spending and tax plan designed at rebuilding the US economy. Sanders, along with Senators Ben Cardin, Debbie Stabenow, Elizabeth Warren, and 13 other legislators urged in a letter sent to Biden for extended health benefits. The legislators are hoping that Biden reduces the Medicare eligibility age; expands Medicare benefits to include hearing, dental, and vision care; implements a cap on out-of-pocket expenses under traditional Medicare, and negotiates lower drug prices for the program. The letter came just days before the American Families Plan is expected to be released on Wednesday.

The letter said, “Medicare has been one of the most successful and popular federal programs in our nation’s history since it was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. Now, 55 years later, the time is long overdue for us to expand and improve this program so that millions of older Americans can receive the health care they need, including eyeglasses, hearing aids, and dental care”. It is important that President Biden is expected to address US Congress on Wednesday. The new plan will reportedly include billions of dollars in funding related to education, child care, and climate change. The White House officials were planning to include a last-minute $200 billion allocation to extend health insurance subsidies through the Affordable Care Act, on Friday.

A report also indicated that the White House is also planning to scrap an earlier measure. It would reduce consumer and government spending on prescription drugs. On Friday, the press secretary of White House, Jen Psaki informed reporters that expanding access to health care and making it more affordable remains a top priority for the Biden administration. She added that the initial drafts of the spending plan will be released on Wednesday, but the plan is still a work in progress and could include several additional measures. Psaki added, “Even as he’s making these decisions, that the American Families Plan and his speech on Wednesday, will not represent the totality of every priority item for him and every item on his agenda that he wants to move forward as president”.