President Joe Biden signed a series of new healthcare-related executive orders aimed at "reversing the damage" done by the former Trump administration.
Biden said that the orders weren't meant to initiate any new laws or change any aspects of the current law.
Biden said the order will restore the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid to the state it was in before Donald Trump became president. Biden added that the changes made by Trump had made the programs "more expensive and more difficult for people to qualify."
One of the executive orders opened up a special enrollment period for HealthCare.gov - the country's federal health insurance marketplace - that will start on Feb. 15 and end of May 15. Biden said that it should give citizens more time to sign up and get their health insurance coverage.
Biden also signed an order that directs federal agencies to make it much easier for Americans to get access to health care. Healthcare agencies were ordered to review their current rules and pricing - particularly for those with pre-existing conditions.
Biden signed an order that effectively rescinded the country's anti-abortion rules. The order reversed the Mexico City Policy - also known as the Global Gag Rule -that prohibited money from the country from going to international organizations that provide abortions or expand abortion access.
The Mexico City Policy had been enacted and rescinded numerous times in the past depending on who was sitting as president. Democratic presidents such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama rescinded the rule, while Republic presidents such as Trump re-enacted and expanded it.
The Trump administration fought to eliminate Obamacare and lodged a case before the Supreme Court to rescind it. The case is still pending. Biden was the vice-president of the country when Obama enacted Obamacare.
During his presidential campaign, Biden had repeatedly promised to protect and expand the country's healthcare policies. Unlike Senator Bernie Sanders' "Medicare for All" proposal, Biden is pushing for more affordable and accessible healthcare insurance.
The U.S. currently has the most expensive healthcare system in the country. Patients without insurance typically face serious financial hardships and most are forced into bankruptcy as a result. Healthcare in the country is not nationalized and people are forced to rely on private insurance and government programs.
