奥巴马总统在白宫玫瑰园就《平价医疗法案》发表的演说
THE PRESIDENT: Everybody, have a seat.
MS. BAKER: Hello. My name is Janice Baker. I havethe privilege to say that I'm the first person in the state of Delaware to enrollfor health insurance through the new marketplace. (Applause.) Like many consumers out there, it took me a number of frustratingattempts before I could apply for and select my plan. I kept trying because I needed access to thenew health care options.
I had applied to three privateinsurance companies only to be rejected due to preexisting healthconditions. I am too young for Medicare,but I'm too old not to have some health issues. I was able to find a policy I am thrilled with, saving $150 a month, andmuch lower deductibles than my previous policy that I held through my smallbusiness.
I'm here today to encourage otherpeople like me who needs access to quality, affordable insurance, and to tellthem to have patience with such a new system. Without this ability to get this insurance, Iknow that a single hospital stay could have bankrupted me and my business.
Thank you all. And I am now honored to introduce thePresident of the United States. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Great job.
MS. BAKER: Thank you. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you,everybody. Well, thank you, Janice. And thanks to everybody here for coming onthis beautiful day. Welcome to the WhiteHouse.
About three weeks ago, as thefederal government shut down, the Affordable Care Act's health insurancemarketplaces opened for business across the country. Well, we've now gotten the government backopen for the American people, and today I want to talk about how we're going toget the marketplaces running at full steam, as well. And I'm joined today by folks who have eitherbenefited from the Affordable Care Act already, or who are helping their fellowcitizens learn about what this law means for them and how they can get covered.
Of course, you've probably heardthat HealthCare.gov –- the new website where people can apply for healthinsurance, and browse and buy affordable plans in most states –- hasn't workedas smoothly as it was supposed to work. And the number of people who have visited the site has beenoverwhelming, which has aggravated some of these underlying problems.
Despite all that, thousands ofpeople are signing up and saving money as we speak. Many Americans with a preexisting condition,like Janice, are discovering that they can finally get health insurance likeeverybody else.
So today, I want to speak toevery American who's looking to get affordable health insurance. I want you to know what's available to youand why it may be a good deal for you. And for those who've had some problems with the website, I want to tellyou what we're doing to make it work better and how you can sign up to getcovered in other ways.
But before I do that, let meremind everybody that the Affordable Care Act is not just a website. It's much more. For the vast majority of Americans — for 85percent of Americans who already have health insurance through your employer orMedicare or Medicaid -– you don't need to sign up for coverage through awebsite at all. You've already gotcoverage. What the Affordable Care Actdoes for you is to provide you with new benefits and protections that have beenin place for some time. You may not knowit, but you're already benefiting from these provisions in the law.
For example, because of theAffordable Care Act, young people like Jasmine Jennings, and Jessica Ugalde,and Ezra Salop, all of whom are here today, they've been able to stay on theirparents' plans until they're 26. Millions of other young people are currently benefiting from that part ofthe law. (Applause.) Another part of the Affordable Care Act isproviding seniors with deeper discounts on their prescription medicine. Billions of dollars have been saved byseniors already. That's part of thelaw. It's already in place. It's happening right now.
Already, because of theAffordable Care Act, preventive care like mammograms and birth control are freethrough your employers. That's part ofthis law. (Applause.) So there are a wide range of consumerprotections and benefits that you already have if you've got healthinsurance. You may not have noticedthem, but you've got them, and they're not going anywhere. And they're not dependent on a website.
Here's another thing that theAffordable Care Act does. In stateswhere governors and legislatures have wisely allowed it, the Affordable CareAct provides the opportunity for many Americans to get covered under Medicaidfor the first time. So in Oregon, forexample, that's helped cut the number of uninsured people by 10 percent just inthe last three weeks. Think aboutthat. That's 56,000 more Americans whonow have health care. (Applause.) That doesn't depend on a website.
Now, if you're one of the 15percent of Americans who don't have health insurance — either because you can'tafford it or because your employer doesn't offer it, or because you're a smallbusinessperson and you have to go out on the individual market and buy it onyour own and it's just too expensive — October 1st was an important date. That's when we opened the new marketplaceswhere people without health insurance, or who can't afford health insurance, orwho aren't part of a group plan, can finally start getting affordable coverage.
And the idea is simple. By enrolling in what we're calling thesemarketplaces, you become part of a big group plan — as if you were working fora big employer — a statewide group plan that spreads risk between sick peopleand healthy people, between young and old, and then bargains on your behalf forthe best deal on health care. What we'vedone is essentially create a competition where there wasn't competitionbefore. We created these big groupplans, and now insurers are really interested in getting your business. And so insurers have created new health careplans with more choices to be made available through these marketplaces.
And as a result of this choiceand this competition, prices have come down. When you add the new tax credits that many people are eligible forthrough the law, then the prices come down even further. So one study shows that through new optionscreated by the Affordable Care Act, nearly 6 in 10 uninsured Americans willfind that they can get covered for less than $100 a month. Think about that. (Applause.)
Through the marketplaces, you canget health insurance for what may be the equivalent of your cell phone bill oryour cable bill, and that's a good deal.
So the fact is the product of theAffordable Care Act for people without health insurance is quality healthinsurance that's affordable. And thatproduct is working. It's reallygood. And it turns out there's a massivedemand for it. So far, the nationalwebsite, HealthCare.gov, has been visited nearly 20 million times. Twenty million times. (Applause.) And there's great demand at the state level as well, because there are abunch of states that are running their own marketplaces.
We know that nearly one-third ofthe people applying in Connecticut and Maryland, for example, are under 35years old. They understand that they canget a good deal at low costs, have the security of health care, and this is notjust for old folks like me — that everybody needs good quality healthinsurance. And all told, more than halfa million consumers across the country have successfully submitted applicationsthrough federal and state marketplaces. And many of those applications aren't just for individuals, it's fortheir entire families. So even morepeople are already looking to potentially take advantage of the high quality,affordable insurance that is provided through the Affordable Care Act.
So let me just recap here. The product is good. The health insurance that's being provided isgood. It's high quality and it'saffordable. People can save money,significant money, by getting insurance that's being provided through thesemarketplaces. And we know that thedemand is there. People are rushing tosee what's available. And those who havealready had a chance to enroll are thrilled with the result. Every day, people who were stuck withsky-high premiums because of preexisting conditions are getting affordableinsurance for the first time, or finding, like Janice did, that they're savinga lot of money. Every day, women arefinally buying coverage that doesn't charge them higher premiums than men forthe same care. (Applause.) Every day, people are discovering that newhealth insurance plans have to cover maternity care, mental health care, freepreventive care.
So you just heard Janice's story– she owns her own small business. Sherecently became the first woman to enroll in coverage through Delaware'sexchange. And it's true, it took her afew tries, but it was worth it after being turned down for insurance threetimes due to minor preexisting conditions. So now she'll be covered, she'll save 150 bucks a month, and she won'thave to worry that one illness or accident will cost her her business that she'sworked so hard to build.
And Janice is not alone. I recently received a letter from a womannamed Jessica Sanford in Washington State. And here's what she wrote: “I ama single mom, no child support, self-employed, and I haven't had insurance for15 years because it's too expensive. Myson has ADHD and requires regular doctor visits and his meds alone cost $250per month. I have had an ongoingtendinitis problem due to my line of work that I haven't had treated. Now, finally, we get to have coverage becauseof the ACA for $169 per month. I wascrying the other day when I signed up. Somuch stress lifted.”
Now, that is not untypical for alot of folks like Jessica who have been struggling without healthinsurance. That's what the AffordableCare Act is all about. The point is, theessence of the law — the health insurance that's available to people — isworking just fine. In some cases,actually, it's exceeding expectations — the prices are lower than we expected,the choice is greater than we expected.
But the problem has been that the website that'ssupposed to make it easy to apply for and purchase the insurance is not workingthe way it should for everybody. Andthere's no sugarcoating it. The websitehas been too slow, people have been getting stuck during the applicationprocess. And I think it's fair to saythat nobody is more frustrated by that than I am — precisely because theproduct is good, I want the cash registers to work. I want the checkout lines to be smooth. So I want people to be able to get this greatproduct. And there's no excuse for theproblems, and these problems are getting fixed.
But while we're working out the kinks in thesystem, I want everybody to understand the nature of the problem. First of all, even with all the problems atHealthCare.gov, the website is still working for a lot of people — just not asquick or efficient or consistent as we want. And although many of these folks have found that they had to wait longerthan they wanted, once they complete the process they're very happy with thedeal that's available to them, just like Janice's.
Second, I want everybody toremember that we're only three weeks into a six-month open enrollment period,when you can buy these new plans. (Applause.) Keep in mind theinsurance doesn't start until January 1st; that's the earliest that theinsurance can kick in. No one who decidesto purchase a plan has to pay their first premium until December 15th. And unlike the day after Thanksgiving salesfor the latest Playstation or flat-screen TVs, the insurance plans don't runout. They're not going to sell out. They'll be available through the marketplace– (applause) — throughout the open enrollment period. The prices that insurers have set will notchange. So everybody who wants insurancethrough the marketplace will get insurance, period. (Applause.) Everybody who wants insurance through the marketplace will getinsurance.
Third, we are doing everything wecan possibly do to get the websites working better, faster, sooner. We've got people working overtime, 24/7, toboost capacity and address the problems. Experts from some of America's top private-sector tech companies who, bythe way, have seen things like this happen before, they want it to work. They're reaching out. They're offering to send help. We've had some of the best IT talent in theentire country join the team. And we'rewell into a “tech surge” to fix the problem. And we are confident that we will get all the problems fixed.
Number four — while the websitewill ultimately be the easiest way to buy insurance through the marketplace, itisn't the only way. And I want toemphasize this. Even as we redouble ourefforts to get the site working as well as it's supposed to, we're alsoredoubling our efforts to make sure you can still buy the same quality,affordable insurance plans available on the marketplace the old-fashioned way– offline, either over the phone or in person.
And, by the way, there are a lotof people who want to take advantage of this who are more comfortable workingon the phone anyway or in person. So letme go through the specifics as to how you can do that if you're having problemswith the website or you just prefer dealing with a person.
Yesterday, we updated the website'shome page to offer more information about the other avenues to enroll inaffordable health care until the online option works for everybody. So you'll find information about how to talkto a specialist who can help you apply over the phone or to receive adownloadable application you can fill out yourself and mail in.
We've also added more staff tothe call centers where you can apply for insurance over the phone. Those are already — they've beenworking. But a lot of people havedecided first to go to the website. Butkeep in mind, these call centers are already up and running. And you can get your questions answered byreal people, 24 hours a day, in 150 different languages. The phone number for these call centers is1-800-318-2596. I want to repeat that –1-800-318-2596. Wait times have averagedless than one minute so far on the call centers, although I admit that the waittimes probably might go up a little bit now that I've read the number out loudon national television. (Laughter.)
But the point is the call centersare available. You can talk to somebodydirectly and they can walk you through the application process. And I guarantee you, if one thing is worththe wait, it's the safety and security of health care that you can afford, orthe amount of money that you can save by buying health insurance through themarketplaces. (Applause.)
Once you get on the phone with atrained representative, it usually takes about 25 minutes for an individual toapply for coverage, about 45 minutes for a family. Once you apply for coverage, you will becontacted by email or postal mail about your coverage status.
But you don't have to just gothrough the phone. You can also apply inperson with the help of local navigators -– these are people specially trainedto help you sign up for health care, and they exist all across the country, oryou can go to community health centers and hospitals. Just visit LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov to findout where in your area you can get help and apply for insurance in person.
And finally, if you've alreadytried to apply through the website and you've been stuck somewhere along theway, do not worry. In the coming weeks,we will contact you directly, personally, with a concrete recommendation forhow you can complete your application, shop for coverage, pick a plan thatmeets your needs, and get covered once and for all.
So here's the bottom line. The product, the health insurance isgood. The prices are good. It is a good deal. People don't just want it; they're showing upto buy it. Nobody is madder than meabout the fact that the website isn't working as well as it should, which meansit's going to get fixed. (Laughter andapplause.)
And in the meantime, you canbypass the website and apply by phone or in person. So don't let problems with the website deteryou from signing up, or signing your family up, or showing your friends how tosign up, because it is worth it. It willsave you money. If you don't have healthinsurance, if you've got a preexisting condition, it will save you money and itwill give you the security that your family needs.
In fact, even with the websiteissues, we've actually made the overall process of buying insurance through themarketplace a lot smoother and easier than the old way of buying insurance onyour own. Part of the challenge here isthat a lot of people may not remember what it's like to buy insurance thetraditional way.
The way we've set it up, thereare no more absurdly long application forms. There's no medical history questionnaire that goes on for pages andpages. There's no more getting deniedbecause you've had a preexisting condition. Instead of contacting a bunch of different insurers one at a time, whichis what Janice and a lot of people who are shopping on the individual marketfor health insurance had to do, there's one single place you can go shop and compareplans that have to compete for your business. There's one single phone number you can call for help. And once the kinks in the website have beenironed out, it will be an even smoother and even easier. But in the meantime, we will help you sign up– because consumers want to buy this product and insurance companies want tosell it to you.
Now, let me close by addressingsome of the politics that have swirled around the Affordable Care Act. I recognize that the Republican Party hasmade blocking the Affordable Care Act its signature policy idea. Sometimes it seems to be the one thing thatunifies the party these days. (Laughter.) In fact, they werewilling to shut down the government and potentially harm the global economy totry to get it repealed. And I'm surethat given the problems with the website so far, they're going to be looking togo after it even harder. And let's admitit — with the website not working as well as it needs to work, that makes alot of supporters nervous because they know how it's been subject to so muchattack, the Affordable Care Act generally.
But I just want to remindeverybody, we did not wage this long and contentious battle just around awebsite. That's not what this wasabout. (Applause.) We waged this battle to make sure thatmillions of Americans in the wealthiest nation on Earth finally have the samechance to get the same security of affordable quality health care as anybodyelse. That's what this is about. (Applause.) And the Affordable Care Act has done that.
People can now get goodinsurance. People with preexistingconditions can now afford insurance. Andif the launch of this website proves anything, it's that people across thecountry don't just need that security, they want that security. They want it. (Applause.) And in the meantime– I've said many times — I'm willing to work with anyone on any idea to makethis law perform even better. But it'stime for folks to stop rooting for its failure, because hardworking,middle-class families are rooting for its success. (Applause.) And if the product is good, they're willing to be patient.
I got a letter last week from aself-employed man named John Mier in Leetsdale, Pennsylvania. He used the new marketplace to get himselfand his wife covered and save a lot of money. And here's what he said, because it pretty much sums up my messagetoday: “Yes, the website really stankfor the first week.” (Laughter.) “But instead of paying $1,600 per month for agroup insurance plan, we have a plan that will only cost us $692 a month –- asavings of $900 per month.” (Applause.) John said that whilehe saw — when he saw what they'd be paying, he turned to his wife and toldher, “We might just pull through. We canafford this.” And John eventuallypredicted that “the website will work like a champ.”
So John, he was frustrated by thewebsite, but he's feeling a little less frustrated once he found out that hewas saving 900 bucks a month on his health insurance. (Applause.) And John is right, the website is going to get fixed and the lawworks. That's why we fought so hard topass this law — to save folks like John money; to give people who don't havehealth insurance the chance to get it for the first time; to lift from theAmerican people the crushing burden of unaffordable health care; to freefamilies from the pervasive fear that one illness — (on-stage participantbecomes ill) — there you go, you are ok. I'm right here. I got you. (Laughter.) No, no — you're okay. Thishappens when I talk too long. (Laughter.) You'll be okay. Here, why don't you go. (Applause.)
Good catch, by the way, whoeverwas here. (Laughter.)
But that's always our goal, tofree families from the pervasive fear that one illness or one injury might costyou everything that you dedicated a lifetime to build. Our goal has always been to declare that inthis country the security of health care is not a privilege for a fortunatefew. It's a right for all to enjoy. (Applause.) That's what the Affordable Care Act is all about. That's its promise. And I intend to deliver on that promise.
Thank you very much,everybody. God bless you. (Applause.)
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