President Obama is scheduled to make a statement on the Affordable Care Act at 4:15 PM ET today from The White House Rose Garden. He'll address the milestone achievement of more than 7 million enrolled along with the the path forward to continue making the ACA a success for the country. Join in the conversation below and follow the statement in the video feed above and in our updates throughout the event.
1:03 PM PT: Our very own Trix has obtained the embargoed transcript.
1:14 PM PT: Must be a sad day for Mr. Karl:
Lots of hugs, back-slapping & big smiles among WH staff here in the Rose Garden in advance of POTUS's Obamacare event
http://t.co/...
— @jonkarl
1:18 PM PT: The president is walking to the podium, followed by Vice President Biden.
1:20 PM PT: "Six months ago today, a big part of the Affordable Care Act kicked in ... last night, the first open enrollment period under this law came to end ... despite several lost weeks [due to website problems], 7.1 million Americans have signed up."
1:20 PM PT: Cheers and applause from the assembled crowd on that 7.1 million announcement. And the number is growing: "Anyone who was stuck in line" can complete their enrollment says the president.
1:22 PM PT: And, as the president points out, it's not just people enrolling in individual market plans: It's also Medicaid expansion, a ban on coverage limits, reducing drug costs for seniors, and more.
1:23 PM PT: Allen West is not impressed. He thinks the numbers are made up, apparently. Unskew!
1:24 PM PT: President Obama says that improving the health care system is still a work in progress—not mission accomplished. "But this law has made our health care system a lot better. A lot better." And it will continue getting better.
1:25 PM PT: President Obama says the ACA is making millions of Americans more secure by giving them access to affordable, reliable insurance. And then a message for the Republican repealers: "Regardless of your politics, or your feelings about me, that's something that's good for our country—and there's no good reason to go back."
1:30 PM PT: President Obama casts insurance as an issue of dignity, decrying "the constant politics" around Obamacare, referring to the Republican repealers without naming them. But it's clear this is the formulation of what should be a killer message for Democrats this fall, if they only have the courage to run on it—that Republican health care policy would take away health insurance for millions of people. "Why are they so mad about the idea of folks having health insurance?" he asks.
1:31 PM PT: Now he's really going at the GOP: "There are still no death panels ... Armageddon has not arrived." And: "The debate over repealing this law is over. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay."
1:32 PM PT: "Those who have based their entire political agenda on repealing have to explain why [a woman he mentioned earlier] should have to go back to being uninsured."
1:33 PM PT: "You know, in the end, history is not kind those who would deny Americans their basic economic security."
1:36 PM PT: Obama again says that there are going to be days when the website isn't working, and that there opportunities for the law to be improved, but it's time to move past the question of whether or not ACA is here to stay.
1:38 PM PT: "The idea that everybody in this country should be able to get decent health care—that goal is achievable." And we should work together to achieve that goal, the president says. "To make sure that this country we love lives up to its highest ideals." And with a "thank you very much, God bless you, and God bless America" the president's remarks are done.
2:55 PM PT: Here is a transcript of the president's remarks.