DENVER (AP) - Under fire for his support of the Affordable Care Act, Sen. Mark Udall said President Barack Obama’s landmark legislation isn’t perfect but has benefited many, including his own family.
During a visit to an energy conservation company on Thursday, the Colorado Democrat said the law has allowed his 23-year-old daughter to stay on the family health plan. In addition, he said, he was happy with the coverage and savings he got by purchasing a plan on the state health insurance exchange.
Udall offered the endorsement as he faces re-election and is coming under fire for his 2009 vote in favor of the health care reform law. Now, he says he supports fixing the act, not repealing it.
“The system we had before was broken,” Udall said, asserting that the law is a net positive for the country and that Coloradans want it fixed rather than repealed.
Udall is being hammered during the campaign over what critics call shortcomings in the new law. A $970,000 ad campaign by the conservative Americans for Prosperity contends that “Obamacare just doesn’t work” and urges viewers to “tell Sen. Udall to stop thinking about politics and start thinking about people.”
On Friday, the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC announced it will spend $550,000 to air an ad countering that campaign. The PAC says the attacks come from insurance companies and out-of-state billionaires supporting Udall’s likely opponent, Republican Rep. Cory Gardner.
Gardner has his own personal story about the health care law. Last fall he said his family’s insurance policy was cancelled because of the Affordable Care Act and he had to buy more expensive insurance.
Colorado regulators say 335,000 residents received notices that their health insurance plans were being cancelled and more than 90 percent were offered options to renew or join other plans.
More than 100,000 Coloradans have bought health insurance on the state exchange and about 150,000 have been added to Medicaid rolls under the Affordable Care Act.
Udall did not provide further details or documentation on his plan.
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