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President Obama rallies support for healthcare President Obama rallies support for healthcare
(35 minutes later)
US President Barack Obama is attempting to rally support for his healthcare law and stem a wave of bad publicity over his flagship domestic achievement. US President Barack Obama launched a fresh effort to promote his embattled healthcare overhaul law, as problems with its central website persist.
He was joined at the White House by Americans who said they had benefited from the Affordable Care Act. He was joined at the White House by Americans who said they had benefitted from the Affordable Care Act.
The new healthcare website, which sells medical insurance, is now working at acceptable levels after its disastrous launch, says the administration. The US leader said it was time to "refocus" on improving the American healthcare system following a wave of negative publicity for the law.
"My main message today is we're not going back," he said.
At the White House on Tuesday, Mr Obama recounted stories of Americans who had already benefitted under the sweeping 2010 reform legislation - but said millions more remained to be helped.
"The bottom line is this law is working," he said. "We're not repealing it as long as I'm president."
Mr Obama added that the new healthcare website, which sells medical insurance, is now working at acceptable levels after a glitch-plagued 1 October launch,
He also sought to remind the American public of the law's most popular provisions: Under the law, young people can remain covered under their parents' health insurance policies until age 26, and beginning next year insurers will no longer be able to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions.
The act aims to provide health coverage to some 15% of US citizens who lack it.The act aims to provide health coverage to some 15% of US citizens who lack it.
Mr Obama is seeking to remind Americans that under his health programme, insurers can no longer deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, and young people can now stay on their parents' coverage until age 26.
He will discuss the intensive efforts to repair the healthcare.gov website, which has been a flop since it went online on 1 October.
The White House is also due to hold a youth summit on Wednesday, in the latest attempt to promote the law among the young and healthy, a demographic crucial to the strategy of reducing overall healthcare costs.
It is part of a multi-pronged effort by the administration to counter the Republican argument that the act known on both sides of the political divide as Obamacare is "a train wreck".
The law's problems have sent Mr Obama's job approval ratings plunging and threaten to damage fellow Democrats in next year's congressional elections.
'Floodgates are open''Floodgates are open'
Elsewhere in Washington DC on Tuesday, the White House's chief of staff told a public policy forum that more than one million new visitors had logged on to healthcare.gov a day earlier. The White House is also due to hold a youth summit on Wednesday, in the latest attempt to promote the law among the young and healthy, a demographic crucial to the strategy of reducing overall health insurance costs.
The rallies are part of a multi-pronged effort by the administration to counter the Republican argument that the act known on both sides of the political divide as Obamacare has failed.
The law's problems have sent Mr Obama's job approval ratings plunging and threaten to damage his fellow Democrats in next year's congressional elections.
Elsewhere in Washington DC on Tuesday, the White House chief of staff told a public policy forum that more than one million new visitors had logged on to healthcare.gov a day earlier.
Denis McDonough said the website's new queuing system, used in times of high traffic, worked "pretty well".Denis McDonough said the website's new queuing system, used in times of high traffic, worked "pretty well".
"No matter what, we're going to see this thing through," he said."No matter what, we're going to see this thing through," he said.
He did not provide updated figures for how many people had signed up for insurance plans.He did not provide updated figures for how many people had signed up for insurance plans.
The administration aims to enrol seven million people in insurance plans before the end of March, when all Americans are required to have coverage or pay a fine.The administration aims to enrol seven million people in insurance plans before the end of March, when all Americans are required to have coverage or pay a fine.
But problems reportedly persist. Insurers say they are receiving enrolment forms that have errors or are duplicated, while others go missing altogether. But problems persist. Insurers say they are receiving enrolment forms that have errors or are duplicated, while others go missing altogether.
"So far we've been able to deal with these issues because there's been relatively low volume," Daniel Durham, of industry lobby group America's Health Insurance Plans, told Reuters news agency."So far we've been able to deal with these issues because there's been relatively low volume," Daniel Durham, of industry lobby group America's Health Insurance Plans, told Reuters news agency.
"But now that the floodgates are open… we're going to see a lot more volume and health plans just don't have the personnel to do all [the technical fixes] manually." "But now that the floodgates are open... we're going to see a lot more volume and health plans just don't have the personnel to do all [the technical fixes] manually."
On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor accused the administration of trying to cover up the law's problems.On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor accused the administration of trying to cover up the law's problems.
"What else are they hiding?" he told a news conference."What else are they hiding?" he told a news conference.
"While the White House wants to claim that healthcare.gov is now working, we know that Obamacare is still plagued with problems and every American deserves relief from it.""While the White House wants to claim that healthcare.gov is now working, we know that Obamacare is still plagued with problems and every American deserves relief from it."