President Obama announced Thursday that 8 million people have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, well above the administration's goal of 7 million, and he challenged Republicans to stop trying to repeal the law.
"This thing is working," Obama said at an afternoon news conference. Of the GOP, he added: "They said no one would sign up. They were wrong about that. They are wrong to try to repeal a law that is working."
The White House previously projected that 7.5 million people had signed up.
Thirty five percent of those who have signed up for the insurance plans are under the age of 35, just short of the administration's goal of 38 percent, and premiums are projected to be 15 percent lower than predicted, Obama said. A fact sheet provided by the White House, however, said 28 percent of enrollees are between 18 and 34.
"The Affordable Care Act will cover more people at less cost than people predicted a few weeks ago," he said.
The revised figures come after a disastrous rollout of the health-care law in the fall, when the government's Web site for uninsured people to sign up for plans largely failed and led to months of attacks from Republicans denouncing the law. Kathleen Sebelius resigned from her role as secretary of Health and Human Services, the agency responsible for the rollout, last week.
Democrats have been concerned that the initial problems with the health-care rollout will leave them vulnerable to Republican attacks in the midterm elections this fall, but Obama signaled that the better-than-expected enrollment numbers should end that debate.
"This is the prime item in the Republicans' political agenda," Obama said. "Democrats should forcefully defend and be proud" of the success of the law. "There is a good, strong, right story to tell. What the other side is doing is strip away protections for those families."
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Obama: 8 million have signed up for health care
President Obama announced Thursday that 8 million people have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, well above the administration's goal of 7 million, and he challenged Republicans to stop trying to repeal the law.
"This thing is working," Obama said at an afternoon news conference. Of the GOP, he added: "They said no one would sign up. They were wrong about that. They are wrong to try to repeal a law that is working."
The White House previously projected that 7.5 million people had signed up.
Thirty five percent of those who have signed up for the insurance plans are under the age of 35, just short of the administration's goal of 38 percent, and premiums are projected to be 15 percent lower than predicted, Obama said. A fact sheet provided by the White House, however, said 28 percent of enrollees are between 18 and 34.
"The Affordable Care Act will cover more people at less cost than people predicted a few weeks ago," he said.
The revised figures come after a disastrous rollout of the health-care law in the fall, when the government's Web site for uninsured people to sign up for plans largely failed and led to months of attacks from Republicans denouncing the law. Kathleen Sebelius resigned from her role as secretary of Health and Human Services, the agency responsible for the rollout, last week.
Democrats have been concerned that the initial problems with the health-care rollout will leave them vulnerable to Republican attacks in the midterm elections this fall, but Obama signaled that the better-than-expected enrollment numbers should end that debate.
"This is the prime item in the Republicans' political agenda," Obama said. "Democrats should forcefully defend and be proud" of the success of the law. "There is a good, strong, right story to tell. What the other side is doing is strip away protections for those families."
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