Major push for health launch
WASHINGTON — For years, President Barack Obama’s health carelawhasbeen praised, excoriated, legally challenged, upheld as constitutional and argued about some more.
Now, with its online insurance marketplaces days from opening for business, the WhiteHouse is focused on a task that many of the law’s supporters complain is overdue: explaining it.
The president debuted an Affordable Care Act primer Thursday in a speech meant to convince young, uninsured Americans that they will find insurance coverage that suits their budgets.
The address was laced with jabs at Republicans in Congress whowant to gut or delay the program, but mostly it was a plea to Americans to give the new virtual marketplace a try on Tuesday when the six- month enrollment period is to begin.
“This is real simple,” Obama told the crowd at a community college in Largo, Md. “It’s awebsite where you can compare and purchase affordable health insurance plans side by side, the same way you shop for a plane ticket on Kayak, same way you shop for a TV on Amazon.
“You’ve got new choices,” he added, because “insurers want your business, and that means you will have cheaper prices.”
The administration has faced considerable criticism from fellow Democrats for not selling the Affordable Care Act in the 31⁄ years since Obama signed it into law. White House officials have countered that until the benefits became clear to consumers through the online system, such efforts would have been futile.
A few glitches are already poppingup. Small businesses in almost three dozen states will have to use paper forms to sign up until November because that part of the online system isn’t ready to go. Republican critics noted the irony of what was supposed to be a cutting- edge digital operation resorting to snail mail.
But Obama advisers hope the experience of comparing plans, with subsidies and lowerpremiumsavailable for many, will win people over.
Obama and his White House have their work cut out for them. Polls showthat even uninsured Americans, the primary target for the law’s new marketplaces, are wary. APewResearch survey conducted last week found the uninsured are as likely to disapprove of the lawas they are to approve of it. Half of the uninsured surveyed knew that the law offered subsidies to bring down the cost.
Attracting consumers, particularly young, healthy ones whose support is essential to hold costs down, has been priority No. 1 for the administration during much of this week. To that end, Obama’s speech will be followed by a series of events in which officials will participate in conferences, briefings and online conversations with target groups.
“News flash: There will be glitches. Whenglitches arise, we will fix them,” White House deputy senior adviser David Simas said, noting that other complex health care initiatives have also had problems when they were rolled out.
The federal government has been training proxies at community centers, clinics and hospitals to guide people through the process. Call centers open 24 hours will have operators who can assist callers with problems.
Even a potential government shutdown, which could start Tuesday if Congress fails to OK funding, won’t threaten the rollout, administration officials vowed. Key workers already have been designated “core and essential,” and will continue to work even if other government employees are furloughed.
The program, Obama said at Prince George’s Community College, “is going to happen in five days.”
On Capitol Hill, opponents of the law want to prove him wrong.
HouseRepublicanswanta one- year delay of the law in exchange for raising the debt limit by Oct. 17.