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 The administration on Tuesday also extended a special enrollment
period for registering for subsidized health insurance coverage
until Aug. 15 from the previous deadline of May 15.
Biden visited Ohio State University's James Cancer Hospital to mark
the anniversary and promote a $100 million grant the hospital
received under the program, known as Obamacare, to upgrade its
radiation oncology department.
The visit comes as Biden and other top White House officials are
hitting the road on the "Help is Here" tour to promote the $1.9
trillion COVID-19 relief bill, Biden's first major legislation. The
measure also provides short-term subsidies that deliver discounts
for nearly everyone who buys insurance under the program.
Many of the trips have been to politically critical states.
Democrats, who hold a bare majority in the Senate, are hoping to
compete in 2022 for a seat being vacated by retiring Ohio Republican
Rob Portman. Biden lost the battleground state to Republican Donald
Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
Democrats see healthcare as a winning issue.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) - the signature legislative
achievement of former Democratic President Barack Obama, under whom
Biden served as vice president - has survived repeated attacks from
Republicans, on Capitol Hill and in the courts. It is expanding
under Biden's watch.
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 Biden signed several executive
orders reversing actions by Trump, who failed in
his repeated vow to repeal Obamacare.
Republicans oppose extensive government
involvement in insurance markets and have
criticized the cost and quality of healthcare
under the program.
There are about 28 million Americans without
health insurance, down from about 46.5 million
in 2010, when the ACA was passed, according to
federal figures.
During last year's presidential election
campaign, Biden proposed a healthcare plan that
would allow Americans to choose between their
private insurance plans and government-sponsored
public options. He took criticism from the
liberal arm of the Democratic Party, which felt
his proposals were too mild.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Columbus, Ohio,
and Jarrett Renshaw in Philadelphia; Writing by
Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Leslie Adler and
Matthew Lewis)
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