Obama likens Obamacare to a starter home

President Barack Obama touted his signature health care law on Thursday as a big, “first step” forward in health reform — likening it to a “starter home.”

“I have always said that for all the good the Affordable Care Act is doing right now, for as big of a step forward as it was, it’s still just a first step,” Obama said while defending his law to a crowd at Miami Dade College. “It’s like buying a starter home. It’s a lot better than not having a home. But over time, you hope you can make some improvements.”


Obamacare has expanded coverage to 20 million Americans and has helped drive the insurance rate to a historic low of 8.6 percent. But the law has raised concerns in recent months as some insurers have pulled out of the marketplaces, causing premiums to spike next year, some in excess of 50 percent in certain states.

The law, which has been a fixture in the presidential and congressional elections, has drawn criticism from Democrats in recent weeks, including former President Bill Clinton and Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton who have raised issues around affordability for middle-class Americans who don’t qualify for Medicaid or health subsidies.

Obama has acknowledged affordability concerns and said Republicans in Congress need to “set politics aside” and get on board to address those issues.

“Just because a lot of the Republican criticism has been proven to be false and politically motivated, doesn’t mean there aren’t some legitimate concerns about how the law is working now,” Obama said.