While conceding that "more problems may pop up as they always do when you're launching something new," President Obama on Tuesday said the troubled HealthCare.gov website "is working well for the vast majority of users" and his Affordable Care Act "is working and will work into the future."
"We may never satisfy the law's opponents," Obama added during an afternoon event at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House. But, he said, "we know the demand [for health insurance] is there and we know the product on these marketplaces is good."
According to Obama, about 500,000 people across the nation "are poised to get coverage" thanks to the new health care law and millions more are expected to sign up in coming weeks.
To those in Congress who want to kill the law, Obama said, "we're not repealing it as long I'm president. ... We will make it work for all Americans."
Just before the president spoke, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, tweeted a link to a conservative website's claim that "Healthcare.gov security risks [are] even worse" since it's been fixed following a troubled Oct. 1 launch.
To Americans who don't have health insurance, but haven't yet checked out the Affordable Care Act and HealthCare.gov, Obama said "do not let the initial problems with the website discourage you."
The challenges that remain, though, were underscored Tuesday by a Washington Post report that "the enrollment records for a significant portion of the Americans who have chosen health plans through the online federal insurance marketplace contain errors — generated by the computer system — that mean they might not get the coverage they're expecting next month."
A related story All Things Considered earlier this week: "HealthCare.gov Works Better But Problems Lurk Below The Surface."
For ongoing coverage of the Affordable Care Act and other health care issues, check with our friends on the Shots blog.
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