
The state's progressive vision of universal coverage and the
conservative idea of market competition are what formed the blueprint for
Obamacare: that everyone should have access to quality, affordable health care,
and no one should ever go broke just because they get sick.
And we're seeing the benefits of reform extended nationally:
According to a new report this week, nearly half of single, uninsured Americans
between the ages of 18 and 34 can get coverage for $50 or less, often lower
than the cost of their cable bill. That comes on top of the new benefits --
including free preventive services like mammograms, and a prohibition against
denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Now HealthCare.gov has experienced
its share of bumps in the road, to all of our frustration, but every day people
are signing up and getting insurance. President Obama has said many times that
he's open to making the health care law work better. If folks could leave the
politics aside for a bit -- if Republicans spent as much energy trying to make
the law work as they do attacking it -- we could be much further than we are
today.
Last week we sat down and spoke with folks who
have applied through the Marketplace, and their stories remind me why we fought
so hard to pass this law in the first place.
If you want an example of the difference this law will make in
someone's life, you don't have to look any further than Janice -- a new
registrant from Selbyville, Delaware. She was the first woman to enroll in the
Delaware exchange, and she says her new policy will save her $150 a month for
more coverage benefits than ever before.
Or David -- a self-employed IT consultant and Air Force veteran
living in Washington, D.C. David picked his plan the morning D.C.'s online
health insurance marketplace opened. His previous plan was $600 a month. His
new one? $250 cheaper.
That's who we're fighting for here. And while it can get lost in the fray of the 24-hour news cycle, I hope you'll keep folks like Janice and David in mind in the weeks and months ahead. It's just too important to lose sight of the big picture.
Thanks.
David Simas
Deputy Senior AdvisorThe White Hous