President Barack Obama has admitted that the "website woes" of HealthCare.gov drive him "crazy."
Obama went to Texas to thank volunteers who have been helping sign people up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, his signature piece of legislation. He's also trying to pressure Texas Gov. Rick Perry to expand Medicaid.
"You've all heard about the website woes," Obama told about 150 people at Temple Emanu-El in Dallas. "Nothing drives me more crazy than the fact that right now, there is great insurance to be had out there, choice and competition, where people can save money for a better product, except too many folks have not been able to get through the website.
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"Now, this is like having a really good product in the store and the cash registers don't work and there aren't enough parking spots and nobody can get through the door.
"So we are working overtime to get this fixed," the president said. "And the website is already better than it was at the beginning of October. And by the end of this month, we are anticipating it will be working the way it is supposed to. Folks are working 24/7 to make sure that happens."
Obama referred to Perry's opposition to the Affordable Care Act as "bullheadness" and, noting that the state has more than 6 million uninsured residents, he declared: "There is no state that actually needs this more than Texas."
But Perry hit back in a statement: "President Obama deceived the American people by promising that anyone who liked their healthcare plan could keep it. But millions of Americans are now discovering that simply isn't true.
"Now he's coming to Texas in a desperate attempt to salvage his ill-conceived and unpopular program from a Titanic fate by preaching expansion of the same Medicaid system he himself admits is broken.
"In Texas, where Medicaid already consumes a quarter of the state budget, we simply need the flexibility to implement fundamental, state-specific reforms to our Medicaid program, instead of a one-size-fits-all Washington mandate before it bankrupts our state.
"Mr. President, Texans aren't the reason Obamacare is crumbling," Perry said. "Obamacare is the reason Obamacare is crumbling."
The White House has pointed out Dallas is among the top 10 cities for uninsured Americans,
according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Obama, who was also in Texas for two high-priced fundraisers, added, "This is a no-brainer. Across this state you've got a million people who don't have health insurance that could get health insurance right away. "I'm going to be right there with you the entire way."
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