After a party-line vote in the House of Representatives, President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion social spending bill is still seeing partisan momentum.
Should the bill go into effect, its healthcare measures would be "the biggest health expansion since Obamacare," according to The Washington Post.
Much of the early conversation around the bill included hopes that it would expand Medicare to cover vision, dental and hearing, but the change would likely take years to implement and a stopgap measure is being considered, according to The Washington Post.
However, Democrats are still pushing to expand Medicaid coverage for 2.2 million people in states that have held out thus far. Some lawmakers are also considering providing free coverage to some Americans via Affordable Care Act marketplaces until a more permanent government program can be developed to close the coverage gap.
Other efforts to tie Medicare drug negotiation power to the bill seem to be receiving resistance, as some lawmakers question the legality of tying it to the fast-track format the bill uses.
Still in limbo is a policy to provide cash to home care programs for older adults and individuals with disabilities, as well as a policy that would temporarily subsidize buying plans via ACA marketplaces.