President asks supporters for help with Obamacare roll-out
Barack Obama appeals to core activists for assistance in rolling-out his troubled healthcare plan amid criticism from Republican opponents
President Barack Obama, defiant against critics of his troubled healthcare plan, vowed on Monday to press ahead with the roll-out and asked supporters to help as the White House struggled to gain control of the debate over his signature legislative achievement in the face of mounting criticism.
Obama went before 200 of the core activists who helped turn out the vote for him in his re-election a year ago, seeking their assistance to enrol people into the Affordable Care Act amid signs early sign-up numbers will fall far short of expectations.
“I need your help to implement this law,” he told leaders of the Organizing For Action group that grew out of his 2012 campaign. “I need your help to educate folks about this law.”
Obama has come under fire for a website that has not worked properly since the system came on line October 1 and for the fact that thousands of Americans are seeing their private insurance plans cancelled despite his 2010 promise that under Obamacare, “if you like your healthcare plan, you’ll be able to keep your healthcare plan”.
The problems have contributed to a drop in the president’s job approval rating to about 40 per cent and given his Republican critics ammunition to use against a healthcare law they have fought bitterly since it was proposed during his first presidential election campaign in 2008.
Obama promised the problems with the website will be fixed and vowed the healthcare law would not be stopped.