Yahoo – AFP,
18 April 2014
US
President Barack Obama delivers remarks from the White House in
Washington, DC,
on April 17, 2014 (AFP Photo/Jim Watson)
|
Washington
(AFP) - US President Barack Obama told fellow Democrats to stop saying sorry
for his health care law Thursday, revealing that eight million people had now
signed up for insurance.
Obama said
it was also time for Republicans to accept that the Affordable Care Act -- the
cornerstone of his domestic legacy, which was plagued by a botched rollout and
fierce political controversy -- works and is here to stay.
"I
think that Democrats should forcefully defend and be proud" of helping
millions of people, Obama said at a press conference.
US
President Barack Obama (2nd L) talks
with insurance company executives at the
White House in Washington, DC, on
April 17, 2014 (AFP Photo/Jim Watson)
|
Republicans
have made opposition to Obama's law a centerpiece of their campaign ahead of
mid-term elections in November.
Democrats,
who have an uphill battle to retain control of the Senate, have seen their
candidates, especially in conservative states, assailed by negative advertising
about the law.
Obama said
that eight million people had signed up for plans under Obamacare insurance
exchanges in the first enrollment period, which ended at the end of last month.
After
meeting insurance industry executives at the White House, he also said that 35
percent of those who had enrolled were under the age of 35.
The age
breakdown of those enrolling for the plans is vital to Obamacare's success
since the logic of the law requires younger, more healthy patients to subsidize
older, sicker plan holders with their premiums.
The law
remains broadly unpopular, though some provisions, including the ban on
insurance companies refusing policies to those with pre-existing conditions,
are winning acceptance.
Obama said
he was "curious" why Republicans had made opposition to Obamacare,
which they have voted repeatedly to repeal, their core political message.
"If
Republicans want to spend all their time talking about repealing a law that's
working, that's their business," he said.
"I
think what Democrats should do is not be defensive, but we need to move on and
focus on the things that are really important to the American people right
now."
But a
spokesman for Republican House Speaker John Boehner said that the White House
health care plan had created "havoc" and called on officials to
reveal how many of those who signed up for it had actually paid premiums.
"The
White House continues to obscure the full impact of Obamacare," said the
spokesman, Brendan Buck.
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