President Barack Obama gestures while speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, on the initial rollout of the health care overhaul. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
(CNSNews.com) – President Obama, the chief pitchman for the health care law that informally bears his name, urged Americans to bypass the problem-plagued healthcare.gov website on Monday. He recited a toll free number -- twice -- in a Rose Garden speech:
“Just call 1-800-318-2596. I want to repeat that: 1-800-318-25896. Wait times have averaged less than one minute so far on the call centers, although I admit that the wait times might go up a little bit now that I’ve read the number out loud on national television.
“The point is, the call centers are available, you can talk to somebody directly, and they can walk you through the application process.”
Don’t let problems with the website deter you from signing up, Obama implored Americans. He insisted that problems with the health exchange websites will be fixed, and that no one is more upset about the dysfunction than he is.
“The product is good,” the president insisted. “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 what’s available.”
Obama, flanked by people who have successfully enrolled in Obamacare, said the website is still working for a lot of people, even it may take them a “few tries” to get through.
“All told, more than half a million consumers across the country have successfully submitted applications through federal and state marketplaces,” Obama said. (He did not explain that applying and enrolling are separate things, nor did he give the actual enrollment numbers.)