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U.S. President Barack Obama has symbolically signed up for health insurance to promote his own controversial health care reform legislation, a White House official said Monday.
The official said Obama -- on vacation with his family in Hawaii for the holidays -- signed up over the weekend for "a health care plan made available by the Affordable Care Act on the DC marketplace."
The gesture was a "symbolic" one, the official said on condition of anonymity, as Obama receives health care from the military, as all presidents do. He also has a White House medical team at his disposal.
"But he was pleased to participate in a plan as a show of support for these marketplaces, which are providing quality, affordable health care options to more than a million people," the official said.
The Affordable Care Act, Obama's top domestic achievement to date, is designed to offer insurance to millions of Americans who have never been able to secure it before -- some because of pre-existing health conditions like heart disease that insurers were unwilling to cover.
But a litany of problems with the government website, healthcare.gov, has played into the hands of Republicans, who say the federal government has no business intervening in the private health care market and should not be dictating health choices to Americans.
Obama told reporters on Friday at a year-end press conference that more than a million American had chosen new insurance plans using the new health care system.
The announcement about Obama's symbolic sign-up came on the day a deadline was meant to pass for people signing up for plans beginning Jan 1.
But the government extended the deadline by 24 hours, until late Tuesday, to avoid a crush of users on the website and possible problems, an administration official told AFP.
"We have programmed our systems to support January 1 coverage for those who attempt to complete their enrollment through the end of the day tomorrow," the official said on condition of anonymity.
A spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Julie Bataille, said: "We recognize that many have chosen to make their final decisions on today's deadline and we are committed to making sure they can do so."
But despite the extension, Bataille urged people to "try to sign up today," saying: "You should not wait until tomorrow."
© (c) 2013 AFP
19 Comments
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Laguna
Agreed, Super - either that or he has no clue as to what constitutes the ACA. Prediction: Autumn 2014 will see Dems running ON the ACA rather then trying to change the topic, and elections in 2016 will see the GOP having dropped it as a topic entirely.
Laguna
What do you mean? That consumers can now compare insurance coverage easily, or that the vast majority of people who get their insurance through their company will not be affected (unless they are laid off, in which case the ACA will be a godsend). Get your narrative right if you want to use it for propaganda, my friend.
samwatters
"It's a good first step for Obama to sign up....and come up with the ideas to fix what's wrong." @HonestDictator.
I respect your optimism but you need to reread the article; he has a private medical team and another plan provided by the military. President Obama won't do anything to change the ACA because it was never about medicine to begin with; it was about a transfer of wealth from one group to another. It was about health there would be no exceptions or exemptions. The symbolism is nice but that's all it is.
Laguna
Gee, Jean, I don't know which planet you live on, but I live on Planet Japan, which means I have access to what Democrats had wanted all along (and will likely eventually be achieved, a single-payer system). My son, who recently moved to the US, will soon transfer from Japanese healthcare to (and let's not underemphasize this - PRIVATE) American health insurance, will benefit greatly by being able to quickly and clearly distinguish between plans available on the private market.
Too bad the public option remains unavailable. Perhaps in 2015.
SuperLib
I'm guessing you aren't including people who have been denied insurance under the old system.
Huh? Republicans required that Congressmen sign up for it as their own little piece of symbolism. It's caused massive confusion since they were already covered under the old government plan, especially with their employees. Surely you've heard about the mess they've created by making themselves a special class. All because of Republicans. You are aware of that, riiiiight?
Keep drinking the anecdotal kool-aid. The coverage is not inferior, Obamacare set minimum standards on coverage. You have your own story about your wife but oddly enough you have refused to tell us the results of your own personal experience with the exchanges. Why is that?
Those with political connections? You mean anyone who is already covered by their employer, including people who work for the government? This statement is such obvious propaganda that I'm forced to believe you know better and you're trying to mislead people.
Why is that? Why are you intentionally spreading misinformation? I'm genuinely curious.
SuperLib
Wolfpack is intentionally misleading people.
globalwatcher
Jean ValJeanDec. 24, 2013 - 07:11PM JST
According to us media, Obama signed up for the Bronze and the premium is about $5000 annually for family plan of four. It is still cheaper than $14,400 annually minimum.
Wolfpack
SuperLib:
Since the exchanges are more expensive and/or with higher deductibles, yes I do include them as well.
Real people are getting screwed by ObamaCare. That may be anecdotal to you, but it isn't to the lady with cancer that lost her doctor.
Of course it is inferior. How can a 60 year old woman being forced to pay for prenatal care that she will never use and with twice the deductible not inferior? The reason I haven't mentioned my own personal experience with ObamaCare is because I get my health insurance through my employer. Since Obama decided to unilaterally delayed the employee mandate I don't lose my coverage until next year.
I guess you haven't heard the news - Obama took it upon himself to change the law and delay the employer mandate by a year. As for the employees of Congress, their old plan was replaced with ObamaCare - yet Obama unilaterally decided that because Harry Reid is upset that his highest paid operatives are going to have to come up with money out of their own very deep pockets to pay for their gold plated health plans that the tax payers had to spread the wealth around Congress.
Seriously? Do you still believe that anyone can still keep their old plan? Do you still think people will be able to continue seeing their current doctor? Do you still think that health case costs will go down by $2,500 per person? Obama's propaganda has already been proven to be false. He has even won the "Lie of the Year" award. You are running on pure faith in a man that is a proven liar.
HonestDictator
The fact is that all the legislature etc, should have automatically been put into the AHA. Why? Because if they have to deal with the system that they pass the laws for, they'll be forced to understand the issues with the program and make changes for the better.
Its a good first step for Obama to sign up for it because he'll have to see the problems with the program and come up with the ideas to fix whats wrong.
Elbuda Mexicano
The USA is the ONLY rich, industrialized nation on the face of the earth with NO UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE INSURANCE. Maybe, just maybe, with this ObamaCare plan, the USA can turn around and join the 21st Century?? Sure, rich Republicans will hate it, people in the insurance industry just want to make $$$$, so you have XYZ problem, sorry, we may have to actually cover that so no insurance for you etc..bastards!!
realist
"Obama signs up for healthcare" ha ha. I wonder how he managed to get on the website. Also, the only reason he signed up for it was because of the exposure of his lies and deceit,
Wolfpack
Any person with the means to avoid the exchanges are doing so and are grateful for it; including those powerful members of the US Congress that forced this law on the rest of the American people. The "symbolism" here is Obama showing his insensitivity to those that have lost their coverage and are forced to pay more for inferior coverage with deductibles that are double or more of what they previously paid. Obama is just pretending to be covered by the Unaffordable Care Act. He is just another exemption for those with the political connections to avoid the downside of this dictatorial law that he is coercing others to comply with. Obama dictates that citizens are not allowed the same free choice that the politically connected like himself are allowed.
He and the favored get a choice - the rest can eat cake. That's Obama's America.
globalwatcher
Absurd. We call these people freeloaders.
You tell me how to do that. I am all for that. All national health cares run by governments are not free including Japan, Canada and UK.
This concept also has been applied to Kosei Nenkin National Pension of Japan and Social Security Insurance of US government. Japanese government is going after the non payers for legal subrogation. As you know Jean, we have been doing that for years. That's why people are afraid of IRS. Once you are flagged by IRS, you will be on the list for a long time.
Jean ValJean
Global, I agree. The question" Why not make all healthcare in US completely free for everyone?" was rhetorical. Of course it's ludicrous. Now, at what point would it cease to be ludicrous, 50%? How about zero? My point is to wean the sheeple off the government theft-funded teat. And Income Tax should once again be ruled Unconstitutional and the IRS abolished. Restore Liberty by abolishing tax-slavery.
globalwatcher
Jean ValJeanDec. 26, 2013 - 10:23AM JST
Thanks for the clarification. I understood what you were trying to say here.
You define yourself very well as a Libertarian to the audience. I do not agree with any of their ideologies what the Libertarians stand for.
You want to abolish IRS, FED, UN and fight for PRO GUNS, PRO LIFE to make USA as a lawless land. My favorite academic books are "The Liberty" written by John Stewart and "The Wealth of Nation" by Adams and "The Common Sense" by Payne. So you know what I stand for.
AnonymousArizonan
Anyone who thinks Obamacare is health care isn't very educated, or intelligent. Obamacare is just a law that anyone with enough money for the government to profit off going after them must somehow magically obtain insurance even if insurance companies won't touch them, and even if they have no need for insurance (making it a waist of money better spent elsewhere, while they might need that money applied elsewhere), or... Be fined. And, they never clarify how often they will fine you until you magically get insurance. Obamacare is not health care. It's an excuse to take innocent peoples' money, and in a way that specifically targets the poor (but not so poor as to barely be living), and the sick. Learn to read. Numerous articles discussing Obamacare, in "mainstream" news, clearly explained that this is what Obamacare is. It is not healthcare. It's blatant corruption.
Jean ValJean
Well Laguna, I don't live on Planet Snark-Alinsky, but on Planet Earth.
The insurance business is a risk-assessed business. Different people have different needs and risk levels, but ACA unnaturally sets myriad requirements that distort the rates. It's a horribly b#st#rdized, centrally-planned fiasco. Why go halfway? Why not make all healthcare in US completely free for everyone? Then, no one would gripe about healthcare premiums, right?
Jean ValJean
Did he sign up for the Platinum or Titanium plan? Nah, must be the Tin plan since it's only symbolic.
Jean ValJean
" Get your narrative right if you want to use it for propaganda…"
My "narrative" is correct, and friend is a word I use for a select few individuals.
So, have you signed up?