Xavier Becerra, the serving Attorney General of California and the former Congressman, has now won Biden’s nomination for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary.
Being an anti-Trump individual, Xavier Becerra sued the Trump administration over one hundred times during his four-year California tenure, mostly on health and environmental grounds.
While Republicans are pushing hard to deny his nomination in the Senate, Democrats are leaning towards Becerra to confirm him into the HHS bureaucracy.
Having him in the health sector will play a crucial role in reversing the damage done by Donald Trump in the healthcare sector.
As he sued Trump, mostly related to the health sector, he is expected to be an active health secretary, promoting the Affordable Care Act (ACA), single-payer healthcare, and abortion rights.
Xavier Becerra: A Fervent Advocate of the Affordable Care Act
Xavier Becerra had the loudest voice denouncing Trump when he tried to wrap up the ACA, a landmark achievement of Obama’s era. Becerra led twenty states to sue Donald Trump for his efforts against the ACA.
As the ACA promises to provide health insurance to the masses at an unprecedented rate, with millions of Americans receiving healthcare subsidies, Trump wanted to dismantle this act.
According to Donald Trump, it was a mere waste of resources. Owing to his support of rigorous capitalism, Donald Trump wanted to remove the subsidies given in healthcare under Obamacare.
With Biden in the White House and Xavier Becerra in the office of the HHS Secretary, the ACA and Obamacare are in safe hands, which will help millions of Americans get cheap health insurance.
Single-Payer Healthcare and Xavier Becerra: An End to Expensive Healthcare?
Surprisingly, Donald Trump praised the Single-Payer Health care system, Medicare for All, over the years.
He commended the health sector of Australia, Scotland, and Canada, saying that the government should pay for the healthcare of the disadvantaged ones.
However, when the time came for implementation, he took a step backward from the policy and never implemented any such design.
He never had the support of Republicans with him to implement the Single-Payer system, so he deviated from his own claims.
The Single-Payer healthcare system is one of the best-regarded systems in the world. According to Pew Research, almost 60 percent of Americans want Medicare for All.
Xavier Becerra is an ardent supporter of the Single Payer healthcare system, as he voiced his opinion numerous times in this regard.
Specifically, Becerra supports Bernie Sanders’ healthcare model in which the government should be responsible for most of the expenses in the healthcare sector.
This was also one of the things on which he was questioned during his Senate confirmation hearing.
The Republican Senator Mike Crapo asked Becerra,
“Your long-standing support for single-payer, government-run health care seems hostile to our current system from my perspective.”
(Republican Senator Mike Crapo)
Once the Senate votes for his confirmation, Becerra is expected to be the frontline advocate of Single Payer healthcare, paving the way to clear hindrances in the healthcare of poor Americans.
Under this scheme, the government will increase the healthcare subsidies for the masses.
The End of Trump’s Abortion Politics
The women rights activists and the NGOs are also celebrating Biden’s nomination for HHS Secretary, as he is vocal about Trump’s policies against abortion.
During his tenure, Trump’s family planning restrictions and funding cuts made abortion difficult.
To add fuel to the fire, conservative-dominated courts were also backing Trump’s efforts to reduce abortions as much as possible.
The so-called “Pro-life” groups are also pushing the Senate to reject Becerra’s confirmation to the all-important seat.
Once confirmed, Becerra is likely to make the abortion process much easier, which will bring him face-to-face with the conservative legislatures.
Final Thoughts
Xavier is also up to defending immigrants’ rights to health care, in addition to extending COVID-19 safety protocols in the United States.
Donald Trump’s ignorance towards the pandemic is why the United States became the worst-impacted country in the world.
With Becerra in the office, Donald Trump’s health policies are in danger, which will push the United States into a better time.
Healthcare will be more affordable for those who live from paycheck to paycheck and cannot afford private insurance.
As the Senate votes for his confirmation, Democrats should make sure to get enough votes for him, considering the opposition he is facing right now from the Republican ranks.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.