Dems gloat over ObamaCare numbers

Democrats are touting the latest ObamaCare enrollment numbers as proof that the law is working. 

{mosads}The administration announced on Tuesday that 11.4 million people had signed up ahead of Sunday’s deadline, a figure that puts the administration on track to beat its goal of 9.1 million enrollees. Republicans have been largely silent on the numbers. 

Democrats are looking to show that the law is ingrained as an important part of people’s lives ahead of Supreme Court arguments next month in King v. Burwell, a case that could gut the law by taking away subsidies that help people buy insurance.

Congressional Democrats tweeted the hashtag #11MillionAndCounting to emphasize that the law continues to expand.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) wrote: 

11.4 million Americans have enrolled in health coverage. The numbers are clear- the #ACAworks: http://t.co/11dJbl2ajp

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 18, 2015

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) added:

Happy to report that the #AffordableCareAct is working! 11.4 million people covered! #11MillionAndCounting #ACAWorks pic.twitter.com/GC2UdpfNpg

— Gwen Moore (@RepGwenMoore) February 18, 2015

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) praised his home state of Maryland’s efforts in doubling the number of sign-ups from last year, when its website was plagued with problems. 

“We’re very pleased with the numbers,” he said on a call with reporters Wednesday. “We’re very pleased that there’s been a definite uptick in interest. I’m not surprised interest has ticked up.”

“This is all good news and I’m very, very pleased that things have gone so well,” he added.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate health committee, added a jab at Republicans.

“Democrats are going to keep working to build on this progress by continuing to help families get coverage, make health insurance more affordable, and improve quality of care — and I hope our Republican colleagues will join us,” she said.

A Facebook video from Tuesday night with President Obama announcing the enrollment numbers has had more than 1.2 million views. 

“The Affordable Care Act is working,” Obama said in the video. “It’s working a little bit better than we anticipated. Certainly, it’s working a lot better than any of the critics talked about.”