President Barack Obama> I'm asking you: Affordable Care Act

Good afternoon --

The Affordable Care Act has been in the news a lot recently -- and increasingly for the right reasons.

The law is working: More than half a million Americans have enrolled throughHealthCare.gov in the first three weeks of December alone -- and 800,000 more are on track to get Medicaid through their states. These are people for whom health insurance might not have previously been an option -- people who in the past might have been discriminated against for simple medical conditions like asthma, or who may have been dropped from their coverage just because they got sick.

Now, thousands of Americans are signing up for coverage every day. That matters. It means financial security for families all across the country. It means freedom from the fear that one illness or accident might cost you everything you've worked so hard to build.

If you don't have health insurance, go to HealthCare.gov right now and sign up. You can compare plans based on your own needs and budget, and you can sign up for coverage.

And if you do it before December 23rd, you can be covered on the first day of the New Year.

Now, if you already have health insurance, I'm asking you right now to help make sure that your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and the people you go to college or church with know the facts about how they can get covered, too. Moms and dads, remind your kids this holiday season. And if you've recently signed up, tell your friends.

I'm asking you to spread the word about getting covered -- and we're providing some tools to help you do it.

Whether you talk to a family member, share a photo or a story on Facebook, tweet using the hashtag #GetCovered, or walk a friend or colleague through the website -- your effort will make a difference right now.

That's because the most important source of information about this law isn't going to be me, or anyone here at the White House. It's going to be you, telling the people you know to check out HealthCare.gov for themselves, and make their own decision about getting covered.

Tens of millions of people have already felt the benefits of reform, from free, recommended preventive care like mammograms, to more affordable prescription medications. But there are millions more of our fellow citizens who stand to be helped -- and we've got to make sure they know exactly how.

Thanks for your help.

President Barack Obama