Secretary Xavier Becerra took the stage yesterday to share his perspective on how we can improve access to health care in America. At the inaugural Future of Health Care Summit, Politico staffers sat down with Becerra to ask him directly about what he sees as priorities for health care’s immediate future. Here are some highlights:

Continued Support for the ACA: “We need help to make sure we can continue subsidies for middle class families on ACA plans.”

Reimagining Build Back Better: “I still believe we are going to get a form of the BBB through, simply because we have no choice […] this is not the time to back out of this.”

Preparing for Future Pandemics: “The COVID-19 pandemic is projected to cost the government roughly $4.5 trillion. The amount of funding we’re requesting to fight future pandemics is much smaller. If we can prevent something in the future, that’s a great investment.“