I have the privilege to say that I'm the first person

in the state of Delaware to enroll for health insurance

through the new marketplace.

[Applause.]

Like many consumers out there,

it took me a number of frustrating attempts

before I could apply for and select my plan.

I kept trying because I needed access

to the new health care options.

I had applied to three private insurance companies

only to be rejected due to preexisting health conditions.

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,

and much lower deductibles

than my previous policy that I held through my small business.

I'm here today to encourage other people like me

who needs access to quality, affordable insurance,

and to tell them to have patience with such a new system.

Without this ability to get this insurance,

I know that a single hospital stay

could have bankrupted me and my business.

Thank you all.

And I am now honored to introduce

the President of the United States.

[Applause.]

The President: Thank you.

[Applause.]

Thank you, everybody.

Well, thank you, Janice.

And thanks to everybody here for coming on this beautiful day.

Welcome to the White House.

About three weeks ago, as the federal government shut down,

the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces

opened for business across the country.

Well, we've now gotten the government back open

for the American people,

and today I want to talk about how we're going to get

the marketplaces running at full steam, as well.

And I'm joined today by folks who have either benefited

from the Affordable Care Act already,

or who are helping their fellow citizens learn

about what this law means for them

and how they can get covered.

Of course, you've probably heard that HealthCare.gov --

the new website where people can apply for health insurance,

and browse and buy affordable plans in most states --

hasn't worked as smoothly as it was supposed to work.

And the number of people who have visited the site

has been overwhelming,

which has aggravated some of these underlying problems.

Despite all that, thousands of people 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 like everybody else.

So today, I want to speak to every American

who's looking to get affordable health insurance.

I want you to know what's available to you

and why it may be a good deal for you.

And for those who've had some problems with the website,

I want to tell you what we're doing to make it work better

and how you can sign up to get covered in other ways.

But before I do that, let me remind everybody

that the Affordable Care Act is not just a website.

It's much more.

For the vast majority of Americans --

for 85 percent of Americans who already have health insurance

through your employer or Medicare or Medicaid --

you don't need to sign up for coverage

through a website at all.

You've already got coverage.

What the Affordable Care Act does for you

is to provide you with new benefits and protections

that have been in place for some time.

You may not know it,

but you're already benefiting

from these provisions in the law.

For example, because of the Affordable 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 their parents' plans

until they're 26.

Millions of other young people are currently benefiting

from that part of the law.

[Applause.]

Another part of the Affordable Care Act is providing seniors

with deeper discounts on their prescription medicine.

Billions of dollars have been saved by seniors already.

That's part of the law.

It's already in place.

It's happening right now.

Already, because of the Affordable Care Act,

preventive care like mammograms and birth control are free

through your employers.

That's part of this law.

[Applause.]

So there are a wide range of consumer protections

and benefits that you already have

if you've got health insurance.

You may not have noticed them, but you've got them,

and they're not going anywhere.

And they're not dependent on a website.

Here's another thing that the Affordable Care Act does.

In states where governors and legislatures

have wisely allowed it,

the Affordable Care Act provides the opportunity

for many Americans to get covered under Medicaid

for the first time.

So in Oregon, for example, that's helped cut the number of

uninsured people by 10 percent just in the last three weeks.

Think about that.

That's 56,000 more Americans who now have health care.

[Applause.]

That doesn't depend on a website.

Now, if you're one of the 15 percent of Americans

who don't have health insurance --

either because you can't afford it

or because your employer doesn't offer it,

or because you're a small businessperson

and you have to go out on the individual market

and buy it on your own and it's just too expensive --

October 1st was an important date.

That's when we opened the new marketplaces

where people without health insurance,

or who can't afford health insurance,

or who 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 these marketplaces,

you become part of a big group plan --

as if you were working for a big employer --

a statewide group plan that spreads risk

between sick people and healthy people,

between young and old, and then bargains on your behalf

for the best deal on health care.

What we've done is essentially create a competition

where there wasn't competition before.

We created these big group plans,

and now insurers are really interested

in getting your business.

And so insurers have created new health care plans

with more choices to be made available

through these marketplaces.

And as a result of this choice and this competition,

prices have come down.

When you add the new tax credits

that many people are eligible for through the law,

then the prices come down even further.

So one study shows that through new options created

by the Affordable Care Act,

nearly 6 in 10 uninsured Americans

will find that they can get covered

for less than $100 a month.

Think about that.

[Applause.]

Through the marketplaces,

you can get health insurance for what may be the equivalent

of your cell phone bill or your cable bill,

and that's a good deal.

So the fact is the product of the Affordable Care Act

for people without health insurance

is quality health insurance that's affordable.

And that product is working.

It's really good.

And it turns out there's a massive demand for it.

So far, the national website, 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 a bunch of states

that are running their own marketplaces.

We know that nearly one-third of the people

applying in Connecticut and Maryland, for example,

are under 35 years old.

They understand that they can get a good deal at low costs,

have the security of health care,

and this is not just for old folks like me --

that everybody needs good quality health insurance.

And all told, more than half a million consumers

across the country have successfully submitted

applications through federal and state marketplaces.

And many of those applications aren't just for individuals,

it's for their entire families.

So even more people 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 is good.

It's high quality and it's affordable.

People can save money, significant money,

by getting insurance that's being provided

through these marketplaces.

And we know that the demand is there.

People are rushing to see what's available.

And those who have already had a chance to enroll

are thrilled with the result.

Every day, people who were stuck with sky-high premiums

because of preexisting conditions

are getting affordable insurance for the first time,

or finding, like Janice did,

that they're saving a lot of money.

Every day, women are finally buying coverage

that doesn't charge them higher premiums than men

for the same care.

[Applause.]

Every day, people are discovering

that new health insurance plans have to cover maternity care,

mental health care, free preventive care.

So you just heard Janice's story --

she owns her own small business.

She recently became the first woman to enroll in coverage

through Delaware's exchange.

And it's true, it took her a few tries,

but it was worth it after being turned down for insurance

three times due to minor preexisting conditions.

So now she'll be covered, she'll save 150 bucks a month,

and she won't have to worry that one illness or accident

will cost her her business that she's worked so hard to build.

And Janice is not alone.

I recently received a letter from a woman named Jessica

Sanford in Washington State.

And here's what she wrote: "I am a single mom, no child support,

self-employed, and I haven't had insurance for 15 years

because it's too expensive.

My son has ADHD and requires regular doctor visits and his

meds alone cost $250 per month.

I have had an ongoing tendinitis problem due to my line of work

that I haven't had treated.

Now, finally, we get to have coverage because of the ACA

for $169 per month.

I was crying the other day when I signed up.

So much stress lifted."

Now, that is not untypical for a lot of folks like Jessica

who have been struggling without health insurance.

That's what the Affordable Care Act is all about.

The point is, the essence of the law --

the health insurance that's available to people --

is working 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's supposed to

make it easy to apply for and purchase the insurance

is not working the way it should for everybody.

And there's no sugarcoating it.

The website has been too slow, people have been getting stuck

during the application process.