Biden remembers his health scares and as he vows to keep lowering the cost of prescription drugs 

President Joe Biden outlined the difficulties facing Americans when it comes to the cost of medication and touted his administration's work to fix that, an issue the White House sees as a winning one for them as they head in to the 2024 election.

He was quick to contrast his actions with those of Republicans, slamming the GOP for trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act and cut Social Security and Medicare.

And he joked lower drug prices are a popular issue. 

'It's a lot more popular than I am,' he said as the crowd chuckled.

He spent much of the speech comparing his ideas to Republican proposals and shared, as he has often done, his own family's struggles with health care costs when his son Beau was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2015.  

President Joe Biden hit Republicans during a speech in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he trumpeted his administration's work to lower drug prices

Biden spoke at the University of Nevada on the final day of a three-day trip that also took him to California. The White House believes that healthcare is an issue it can beat the GOP on

'I've been a significant consumer of health care and my family has,' he said, before praising healthcare professionals.

'Doctors let you live. Nurses — male and female — make you wanna live.'

In February of 1988, after suffering recurring painful headaches, he had two life-threatening brain aneurysms. The then 45-year-old senator needed emergency surgery.

He has often used his experience, and how medical workers saved the lives of his two sons, when his wife and daughter were killed in a traffic accident, to empathize with Americans struggling with loss. 

And he contrasted that with the extreme win of the Republican Party. 

'These MAGA Republicans - they're different,' he said. 'They're determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act.' 

He also repeated his previous accusation they want to cut entitlement programs. He pointed out to the crowd that Republicans, during his State of the Union address, who had accused him of lying about their stance, promised not to cut the massive aid programs.

But, he warned: 'I'll believe it when I see it.'

Then Sen. Joe Biden talks to the press after returning to Capitol Hill in 1988 after undergoing brain surgery for aneurysms 

His remarks painted a stark picture for the poor and elderly if Republicans got their way on healthcare issues. 

He warned if Republicans succeeded in appealing the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans wouldn't be able to get insurance because of pre-existing conditions. 

That provision is one of the most popular of Obamacare, the nickname for the Affordable Care Act. 

Biden is pushing for cheaper prescriptions drugs as he gears up for an expected bid for a second term in the White House.

'The MAGA Republicans don't think this is a good idea,' the president said, accusing them of being on the side of the pharmaceutical industry. 

Biden paid tribute to doctors and nurses at the start of his speech. 'Doctors let you live. Nurses — male and female — make you wanna live,' he said

After his speech, Biden posed for selfies with supporters

The president has already bragged about how his administration has lowed the cost of insulin for Americans.

The Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act is expected to save taxpayers billions of dollars and lower the cost of drugs for the roughly 84 million Americans who rely on Medicare. 

In addition to capping the price of insulin at $35, the legislation allows the federal government to negotiate deals on a handful of pharmaceutical drugs for Medicare enrollees. 

Biden is seeking to expand that authority in his budget proposal that he submitted to Congress. It is expected to fail in the Republican-controlled House.

After his speech it was time to head back to Washington. Biden followed his granddaughter Natalie Biden up the stairs as he boarded Air Force One at Harry Reid International Airport

But the president could pivot it into a successful re-election issue.

Cheaper prescription drugs is seen as winning issue with older voters, who are also reliable at turning out at the ballot box.  

In his remarks, Biden specifically warned of the consequences for the elderly. 

'For seniors on a fixed income,' he said, 'the constant question is can they pay for their medication.'

'It's not just the elderly - it's every family out there.' 

The president, who is wrapping up a three-day trip to the West Coast, was in a jovial mood as he spoke to the friendly crowd.  

'Is there a doctor in the house,' he joked as he started his remarks. 

And he pulled out one of his old jokes when he saw people above him, watching his remarks from an upper level: 'Don't jump,' he told them.

He also praised health care workers for the work during the COVID pandemic. Several doctors and nurses were in attendance for his remarks. 

'Health care workers put their lives on the line,' he noted to great applause from the crowd.