LARGO, Maryland (AP) President Barack Obama on Thursday ridiculed Republican opponents for "crazy" doomsday predictions of the impact of his signature health care overhaul.
Obama gave a speech promoting his most important domestic achievement with just five days to go before Americans can begin signing up for health care under the law, a major social policy reform that aims to extend coverage to millions of uninsured citizens.
Obama's tough words came as a Congressional impasse over the health care law is raising the threat of a government shutdown. Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, are trying to defund the health care program through a provision attached to a temporary spending measure needed by Oct. 1 to keep the government running. Democrats, who have a majority in the Senate, oppose the provision.
With polls showing many Americans still skeptical of the law known as "Obamacare," the president went back to the basics of explaining how nearly 50 million uninsured Americans will be able to buy coverage in new government-run exchanges.
The speech showed that three years after the law was passed, Obama still has to educate consumers about what will be available to them and convince them to sign up. The Obama administration needs millions of Americans especially young, healthy people to sign up in order to keep costs low for everyone.