President Obama slammed Republicans Wednesday for continuing to war against his signature healthcare law five years in.
“It’s working, despite countless attempts to repeal, undermine, defund and defame this law,” Obama said in a speech commemorating the Affordable Care Act’s anniversary of passage.
“We’ve made our share of mistakes since we passed this law, but we also know beyond a shred of doubt the law has worked,” he said. “Deficits have been slashed, lives have been saved.”
It’s been half a decade since Democrats in Congress passed the healthcare law and it remains arguably the most controversial piece of legislation passed during Obama’s tenure. Democrats spent this week touting its provisions extending coverage to millions of Americans, while Republicans aired their many ongoing complaints about the law.
There’s one thing members of both parties agree on: Major reforms are still needed in how healthcare is delivered and paid for.
Obama focused on that common ground in the first part of his speech, announcing a network of healthcare providers, payers, advocates and localities his administration is trying to bring together to share ideas on how to improve the quality and cost of care. More than 2,800 organizations — including seven of the country’s 10 biggest insurers — have signed on to the network so far, officials said.
But he also addressed the continuing disputes over the law that Republicans have focused on for years.
He reminded Republicans that some of the ideas behind the Affordable Care Act — most notably its individual mandate to buy coverage — were once supported by some conservatives, although its Medicaid expansion and some other big parts of the law stem more from liberal thought.
“The Affordable Care Act pretty much was their plan before I adopted it,” he said.
While the law has extended health coverage to millions of Americans — and no serious experts dispute that — Republicans charge that it’s still causing more problems than it’s solving.
But Obama sharply criticized the GOP for trying to undermine the law but failing to introduce their own comprehensive alternative. Republicans have introduced many separate bills aimed at reforming healthcare, but have been unable to unite behind one big plan.
And the president condemned the proposed GOP budget the House is voting on this week, which would repeal the entire healthcare law and cost millions of Americans federally subsidized health plans they’ve purchased in the law’s new insurance marketplaces.
“For folks who are basing their entire political agenda on repealing the law, you gotta explain how kicking people off their health insurance is supposed to make us more free,” Obama said.
