Democrats facing reelection in conservative states have largely steered clear of the announcement Tuesday that Obamacare crossed the milestone of 7 million sign-ups, which was celebrated by liberals.
But an afternoon statement to TPM from Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) offers a peak into their careful attempts to simultaneously address the law’s unpopularity with constituents and defend their decision to stand by it — and fix problems that arise.
Her full statement:
“Today’s enrollment announcement confirms what I have said since day one—the Affordable Care Act holds great promise and is getting stronger every day. Already, it is helping 50,000 Louisianians access quality, affordable health coverage that they can count on, and it has the potential to help another 240,000 individuals in working families across the state if Governor Jindal would say yes and do the right thing. I have also said since day one that the Affordable Care Act is not perfect. No law is. That is why I continue to push to make it work even better, including proposals to expand the number of ways people can purchase coverage. It is time for Republicans to stop the drumbeat of repeal and join us to make the Affordable Care Act work better. I will not allow private health coverage to be taken away from these 50,000 hard-working Louisianians. We are not going back to a time when they were one health emergency away from financial ruin, when people with pre-existing conditions were denied coverage, and when our mothers, sisters and daughters paid more for coverage simply for being a woman.”
