What time did he get up?
CPAP machine strap lines were visible on President Biden’s face Wednesday during an afternoon health care event with Sen. Bernie Sanders at the White House Wednesday.
Biden has been utilizing a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea, a potentially serious ailment in which one’s breathing restarts during sleep, the White House confirmed last year.
That confirmation came after the president was seen with mysterious marks on his face during a stroll across the White House lawn, which sparked an internet frenzy, during the event that was slated to begin at 11 a.m. but didn’t get underway until the president arrived around noon.
CPAP machines deploy higher levels of airwave pressure to ensure a patient attains sufficient airflow and oxygen during sleep.
Earlier this year, White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor detailed the president’s sleep apnea diagnosis in his annual exam and said that overall, there were “no new concerns.”
The White House previously explained that “Since 2008, the president has disclosed his history with sleep apnea in thorough medical reports.”
At 81, Biden is already the oldest sitting US president in US history and would be 86 years old at the conclusion of a second hypothetical term.
His chief rival, former President Donald Trump, 77, would surpass Biden as the oldest president if he prevails in November and serves a second term.
During their event in the Eisenhower Executive Office building, Biden and Sanders (I-Vt.), 82, crowed about steps taken to curtail prescription drug prices in the country.
“Despite all the political wealth and political power of the pharmaceutical companies,” Sanders proclaimed. “Despite all that, the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress are beginning to make some progress.”
“You and I have been fighting this for 25 years,” Biden told his fellow octogenarian and former 2020 Democratic primary foe.
“Finally, we beat Big Pharma, finally.”
Back in 2022, Democrats passed the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, which imposed a $35 cap on insulin for Medicare beneficiaries.
His administration has also worked to negotiate down prices for just over a dozen medicines, but both Biden, Sanders, and other Democrats want to go much further.
“I think we should be more aggressive. It’s time to negotiate lower prices for at least 50 drugs a year. We only have — the law only required 10 now and then 15 and moves up,” Biden said.
The president and Sanders both called for taking those negotiations beyond Medicare and capping costs for Americans annually at $2,000.
“With Bernie’s help, we’re showing how health care ought to be a right, not a privilege in America. That’s why I’ve never been more optimistic,” Biden said.
