President Barack Obama touted the Affordable Care Act’s ability to give Americans more flexibility in their work life, a popular topic of debate since the Congressional Budget Office concluded that people would choose to work less under the law.
“If I am working in a big company like IBM and Google and I decide I want to start my own company, I am not going to be inhibited for starting a new company because I am worried about keeping health insurance for myself and my family,” Obama said at a Tuesday press conference. “I can make that move.”
“What the Affordable Care Act does do it gives people flexibility.”
CBO estimated last week that Americans would stop working or work less because of Obamacare; the lost hours would equal 2.5 million full-time jobs. Republicans attacked the law for discouraging work, while the White House has argued that the law gives people the opportunity to start their own business or better adjust their working habits to their needs.
Obama forwarded that argument again Tuesday, without directly referring to the CBO report.
“It is giving people more opportunity to do what makes sense for them,” he said. “Ultimately that is going to be good for our economy.”
