Former US president Barack Obama defended on Thursday the legacy of his signature health insurance reforms, known as Obamacare, even as the House of Representatives was poised to vote on a major overhaul of the 2010 legislation.
On the seventh anniversary of his White House signing of the Affordable Care Act, Obama issued a statement listing what he said were achievements of the so-called Obamacare programme.
The achievements included improving health insurance to more than 90 per cent of the U.S. population, “the highest rate in our history’’.
“America is stronger because of the Affordable Care Act,’’ he said.
Obama supported improvements that “build on’’ the existing law, but urged the conservative Republican majority in Congress to seek consensus with his left-leaning Democrats.
“If Republicans are serious about lowering costs while expanding coverage to those who need it, and if they’re prepared to work with Democrats and objective evaluators in finding solutions that accomplish those goals, that’s something we all should welcome,’’ Obama said.
Leaders of the Republican majority in the House were seeking a vote on Thursday on legislation backed by President Donald Trump to make significant changes to the Affordable Care Act.
But opposition from some hard-line conservatives, as well as a handful of Republican moderates, left the outcome of the measure in doubt.
Trump was meeting on Thursday with the House Freedom Caucus, a Republican faction advocating smaller government, whose members say the House legislation leaves too much of the Obama law in place and gives consumers too few choices.
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