House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi Thursday offered a vigorous defense of the Affordable Care Act on the fourth anniversary of its passage.
Polls say the law, which requires nearly everyone to obtain health care coverage, is viewed with widespread skepticism.
Pelosi, D-Calif., acknowledged the difficulty the law has had gaining acceptance.
"This is hard, change is hard, this is transformational in the lives of the American people, transformational in what it means to the dynamism of our economy when people can be free to follow their pursuits," she told a Capitol news conference.
Make sure, she said, people call the law the Affordable Care Act.
Being affordable, Pelosi said, "is a case we have to make. We're grownups. When Franklin Roosevelt...moved forward with Social Security, he said I'm so convinced about this. Now make me do it."
Will the act help or hurt in swing districts this year? Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., won a special election in Florida this month over a favored Democrat, as Jolly stressed opposition to the act.
"Well, you have to ask the member," whether the act swings voters, Pelosi said. "But I believe that it's a winner."
By David Lightman
McClatchy Washington Bureau