President Joe Biden signed an executive order “making health insurance free for qualifying Americans.”
Get PolitiFact in your inbox.
Empty promise on Facebook dangles free health care. It isn’t true
If Your Time is short
- The executive order this post cites was signed by President Joe Biden in 2021, and it doesn’t provide free health care for Americans.
New year, old misinformation.
In 2022, we debunked claims about free health insurance for Americans 25 and older and Americans under 65, about free health allowances, and free dental work for seniors.
A new Facebook post makes a similar promise, by way of a "2023 Relief Package."
"President Biden signed 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟰𝟬𝟬𝟵 making Health Insurance 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 for qualifying Americans. Thanks to the Affordable Cart Act, American’s with less than $50k/year income now qualify to get Health Plans for as low as $0/month," the Jan. 9 post says, misspelling the Affordable Care Act and Americans.
The post features an image of President Joe Biden signing something at his Oval Office desk.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Featured Fact-check
The image in the post shows Biden signing his first executive orders on Jan. 20, 2021. He signed Executive Order 14009 eight days later, on Jan. 28.
But the order doesn’t make health insurance free for any Americans.
Known as the Strengthening Medicaid and Affordable Care Act, the executive order said the Biden administration’s policy is "to protect and strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to make high-quality healthcare accessible and affordable for every American."
The order directed executive departments and agencies with authorities and responsibilities related to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to "review existing regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies, and any other similar agency actions" to "determine whether such agency actions are inconsistent with this policy."
It didn’t make health insurance free for qualifying Americans.
We rate that claim False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Jan. 9, 2023
ABC News, Biden makes symbolic changes to Oval Office reflecting goals as president, Jan. 23, 2021
The White House, Executive Order on Continuing to Strengthen Americans’ Access to Affordable, Quality Health Coverage, April 5, 2022
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
Empty promise on Facebook dangles free health care. It isn’t true
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.