Ex-President Clinton promotes ‘Obamacare’

NEW YORK CITY - Agence France-Presse

Bill Clinton (L) says young people need to be a part of the changes. AFP photo

President Barack Obama got backing from Bill Clinton on Sept. 24 as he sought to promote his health care law to the U.S. public amid a congressional battle and an approaching sign-up date.

After a day dedicated to diplomacy at the United Nations, Obama took part in a one-hour conversation with his White House predecessor that focused on the benefits of his signature legislation.

After an introduction by Hillary Clinton, the two statesmen pitched why it was in the interest of the millions of Americans who currently don’t have health insurance to sign up for a plan as of Oct. 1. In order for the system to work, young people, even if they opted for the cheapest plan, need to be a part of it, Clinton said.

“We’ve got to have them in the pools because otherwise all these projected low costs cannot be held if older people with pre-existing conditions are disproportionately represented in any given state,” he added.

Some lawmakers also want to link the law -- that has become known as “Obamacare” after being nicknamed as such by critics -- to the raising of the debt ceiling so the country can pay its bills. On Sept. 23, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned that without increasing the Treasury’s borrowing ability, by the middle of October it could be left with only a relatively small amount of cash and looming large payment commitments.