David Jackson, USA TODAY 5:01 p.m. EDT October 30, 2013
President Obama speaks at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall about the federal health care law.(Photo: Charles Dharapak, AP)
[h=3]Story Highlights[/h]
President Obama promoted his embattled health care law Wednesday by arguing that a similar plan in Massachusetts surmounted its early problems.
"Health care reform in this state was a success," Obama said during a speech at Faneuil Hall, the same place where then-Gov. Mitt Romney signed the Massachusetts plan into law in 2006.
With the rollout of Obamacare under fire from Republicans and some consumers, Obama said his plan will provide quality, affordable health care when it is fully operational.
Officials are "working overtime" to fix a website that has prevented many people from signing up, Obama said.
He also said that people who have had their insurance policies canceled are being offered better plans with more coverage as demanded by the Affordable Care Act.
"You will be getting a better deal," Obama said.
Obama also stressed that the Massachusetts law had bipartisan political support, a dig at Republicans who have consistently opposed the Obama plan.
Republicans said Obamacare has already been undermined by a malfunctioning website and people who have had policies canceled because of new regulations.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Obama had promised people they could keep their existing insurance, and they now feel betrayed.
"A website can be fixed," McConnell said. "But the pain this law is causing -- higher premiums and canceled coverage -- that's what's really important. And that's what Democrats need to work with us to address by starting over fresh with true, bipartisan health reform."
Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, said health care policy should be a responsibility of the states and that Obama has misread the lessons of the Massachusetts experience.
In a Facebook post, Romney said: "Health reform is best crafted by states with bipartisan support and input from its employers, as we did, without raising taxes, and by carefully phasing it in to avoid the type of disruptions we are seeing nationally."
Obama spoke just hours after congressional testimony by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who apologized for the poor website but also argued that the plan will work in the long run.
In his Boston speech, Obama said people who have had their insurance canceled had "cut rate" policies that did not provide adequate coverage when people got sick.
The Affordable Care Act requires certain types of coverage and ends discrimination that has led to higher costs and cancellations for women and people with pre-existing medical conditions, the president said.
Obama also decried what he called the politics surrounding Obamacare, saying some Republicans who are attacking it didn't want health care reform in the first place.
"We are just going to keep working on it," Obama said. "We're going to grind it out, just like you did in Massachusetts."
President Obama speaks at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall about the federal health care law.(Photo: Charles Dharapak, AP)
[h=3]Story Highlights[/h]
- President Obama defends health care law in Massachusetts, which has similar plan
- Republicans criticize health care website and note that people are losing policies
- Obama says Massachusetts also faced early problems, but surmounted them
President Obama promoted his embattled health care law Wednesday by arguing that a similar plan in Massachusetts surmounted its early problems.
"Health care reform in this state was a success," Obama said during a speech at Faneuil Hall, the same place where then-Gov. Mitt Romney signed the Massachusetts plan into law in 2006.
With the rollout of Obamacare under fire from Republicans and some consumers, Obama said his plan will provide quality, affordable health care when it is fully operational.
Officials are "working overtime" to fix a website that has prevented many people from signing up, Obama said.
He also said that people who have had their insurance policies canceled are being offered better plans with more coverage as demanded by the Affordable Care Act.
"You will be getting a better deal," Obama said.
Obama also stressed that the Massachusetts law had bipartisan political support, a dig at Republicans who have consistently opposed the Obama plan.
Republicans said Obamacare has already been undermined by a malfunctioning website and people who have had policies canceled because of new regulations.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Obama had promised people they could keep their existing insurance, and they now feel betrayed.
"A website can be fixed," McConnell said. "But the pain this law is causing -- higher premiums and canceled coverage -- that's what's really important. And that's what Democrats need to work with us to address by starting over fresh with true, bipartisan health reform."
Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, said health care policy should be a responsibility of the states and that Obama has misread the lessons of the Massachusetts experience.
In a Facebook post, Romney said: "Health reform is best crafted by states with bipartisan support and input from its employers, as we did, without raising taxes, and by carefully phasing it in to avoid the type of disruptions we are seeing nationally."
Obama spoke just hours after congressional testimony by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who apologized for the poor website but also argued that the plan will work in the long run.
In his Boston speech, Obama said people who have had their insurance canceled had "cut rate" policies that did not provide adequate coverage when people got sick.
The Affordable Care Act requires certain types of coverage and ends discrimination that has led to higher costs and cancellations for women and people with pre-existing medical conditions, the president said.
Obama also decried what he called the politics surrounding Obamacare, saying some Republicans who are attacking it didn't want health care reform in the first place.
"We are just going to keep working on it," Obama said. "We're going to grind it out, just like you did in Massachusetts."