The White House on Tuesday defended Obamacare from a high-profile complaint from former President Clinton who called it a “crazy system” in which millions of additional people now have healthcare, but people who are unable to qualify for subsidies are getting “killed.”
When asked about Clinton’s criticism of the healthcare law and whether it gives more “fuel” to GOP critics, White House press secretary Josh Earnest Tuesday said Republicans have tried to provide “plenty of fuel of their own” to undermine the law. Republicans twice unsuccessfully tried to challenge the law at the Supreme Court and have spent millions of dollars trying to undermine and repeal it, he said.
“We’ve actually seen a law that performed well in terms of expanding healthcare coverage and providing Americans the type of consumer protections” that were previously lacking, he said. “The president is proud of that … and that is not something that can be refuted.”
While stumping for Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail in Michigan Monday, Bill Clinton made it clear he thinks Obamacare is hurting people who make just enough money not to qualify for subsidies.
“The people … out there busting it, sometimes 60 hours a week, wind up with their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half,” Clinton said. “It’s the craziest thing in the world.”
Pressed further on whether the White House wished Clinton had not used words like “crazy” to describe the president’s signature legislative accomplishment, Earnest was succinct.
“Of course,” he said.
Earnest also said it’s “not exactly clear to me what argument [Clinton] was making, so I’ll let he and his team” explain it.
