Healthcare in the Mix in President Biden’s Farewell Address

In a brief and somber farewell address to the nation on Wednesday night, President Biden touched on a number of his administration’s accomplishments in healthcare as he summed up his time in office.

“I’m so proud of how much we’ve accomplished for the American people,” he said in the 17-minute address, adding that he wished “the incoming administration success because I want America to succeed.” Biden, 82, said it was an “honor to see essential workers getting us through a once-in-a-century pandemic, the heroism of servicemembers, and the first responders keeping us safe.”

“We’re finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for millions of seniors,” he continued. “And we’re finally doing something to protect children and families by passing the most significant gun safety law in 30 years.”

Veterans’ healthcare also came up in the speech. “We’re meeting our sacred obligations to over 1 million veterans so far, who were exposed to toxic materials — and to their families, providing medical care and education benefits and more,” he said. Here Biden was referring to the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, which expands and extends eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care for veterans with exposure to toxic chemicals — including Agent Orange and chemicals found in burn pits — during the Vietnam War, Gulf War, and post-Sept. 11 conflicts.

He also noted that “more people have healthcare than ever before,” an apparent reference to the increasing numbers of Americans who have signed up for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges.

Biden briefly addressed the challenges posed by climate change. “The existential threat of climate change has never been clearer,” he said. “Just look across the country — California, North Carolina. That’s why I signed the most significant climate law ever, in the history of the world … It’s working, creating the jobs and industries of the future. We don’t have to choose between protecting the environment and growing the economy; we’re doing both.”

The speech also included mention of misinformation, which has become a big issue in healthcare. “In his farewell address, President Eisenhower spoke of the dangers of the military-industrial complex,” said Biden. “Six decades later, I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a ‘tech-industrial complex’ that could pose real dangers for our country as well. Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling … social media is giving up on fact-checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit. We must hold the social platforms accountable to protect our children, our families, and our very democracy.”

He then moved on to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and its promise for medicine. “Artificial intelligence is the most consequential technology of our time, perhaps of all time,” he said. “Nothing offers more profound possibilities and risks for our economy, our security, and our society. Artificial intelligence even has the potential to help us answer my call to end cancer as we know it.” However, he added, “unless safeguards are in place, AI can spawn new threats to our rights, our way of life, to our privacy, how we work and how we protect our nation. We must make sure AI is safe and trustworthy and good for all humankind … America must lead the world in the development of AI.”

Biden ended his speech with an oft-repeated theme. “I’ve always believed America could be defined by one word: possibilities. That’s the magic of America; it’s all around us.”

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