The Affordable Care Act has helped the “vast majority” of Americans, despite expected average premium increases of 20 percent or more during this year’s open enrollment, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday.
Obama admitted last week that the federal government has to do more to stave off rising premiums, but Republicans refuse to even discuss how to improve the law, Earnest told reporters traveling with Obama as he fundraised in California.
“The vast majority of people who are purchasing health insurance through the marketplace will not see a significant increase in the amount that they pay for their healthcare,” Earnest claimed. “And that’s because the vast majority of people who are purchasing health insurance through the marketplace get tax credits that ensure that healthcare is affordable.”
Most people, seven in 10, pay as much for health insurance monthly as they do their cell phones, Earnest said.
“That’s a particularly good deal when you consider what options were available to individuals on the individual market before” the law, he said.
Earnest said he doesn’t believe the issue will hurt Democrats on Election Day.
Republicans have tried “to find an effective political argument in healthcare” since the law took effect, he said. “And they’ve struggled to do that … I feel confident in saying it’s not going to work” politically this year.
