President Obama defended the Affordable Care Act on Saturday in what is the final White House address before voters hit the polls next Tuesday. Obama touted the progress his administration has made providing Americans with healthcare plans despite last week’s news of rising premiums and other costs.
“Americans have been fighting for the idea that healthcare is a right and not a privilege since the second-to-last time the Cubs won the World Series. I’m not talking about the 2016 Cubs – I’m talking about the 1908 Cubs. That’s a really long time,” Obama said.
Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace began earlier this week and goes through Jan. 31. Although some of the current 20 million enrollees will see premiums double over the next year, Obama focused on the uninsured rate, which has dropped to its lowest level on record. He defended Obamacare’s rising costs for consumers by putting them into perspective.
“Healthcare prices have been rising slower than they have in 50 years,” Obama said. “HealthCare.gov is faster and easier to use than ever before.”
Improvements to the website this cycle allow users to look up doctors and compare plans, some that cost less than $75 per month, which Obama said is “probably less than your cell phone bill.”
The president said his administration’s focus this year around was not to grow enrollment numbers, but to provide a more efficient process.
“Insurance is based on the idea that we’re all in it together. That’s what makes it work and it’s the same idea that’s always made America great,” Obama concluded with a subtle knock at the motto of Republican nominee Donald Trump’s campaign.
