U.S. intelligence agencies' efforts to collect information about Americans' phone records and communications sent via U.S. Internet services today overshadowed President Obama's efforts to promote the new California exchange system.
Obama traveled to San Jose Thursday to meet with Xi Jinping — the president of China; to attend a fundraiser; and to appear today at a press conference announcing the launch of the Covered California Asegurate Campaign.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) calls for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to work with state agencies to set up exchanges — Web-based health insurance supermarkets for individuals and small businesses — by Oct. 1.
The California Health Benefit Exchange — the agency setting up California's Covered California Exchange — is teaming up with the California Endowment and three large Spanish media organizations to market Covered California to the state's Latino residents.
The Asegurate Campaign is supposed to reach the 4.5 million uninsured Latinos in California, campaign organizers said.
Obama used the prepared portion of his remarks at the Asegurate press conference to talk about PPACA and the Covered California exchange.
"The main message I want for Californians and people all across the country — starting on October 1st, if you're in the individual market, you can get a better deal," Obama said, according to a transcript of his remarks. "If you're a small business that's providing health insurance to your employees, you can get a better deal through these exchanges. You've got to sign up: HealthCare.gov, or here in California at CoveredCA.com."