In 'symbolic' move, President signs up for health insurance

President Barack Obama selected a plan over the weekend while vacationing in Hawaii.

The Associated Press: Obama Enrolls For Health Coverage, Won't Use It
He won't use it, and he didn't actually sign up for it himself, but President Barack Obama has enrolled for health coverage through the new insurance exchanges. Announcing his enrollment Monday, the White House called it a symbolic show of Obama's support for the fledgling exchanges where millions of Americans must buy insurance or face a penalty (Lederman, 12/23).

The Washington Post: Obama Signs Up For Health Care, Buying Bronze Plan The White House Calls 'Symbolic'
The political maneuver, announced Monday by the White House, was aimed at showing solidarity with hundreds of thousands of Americans enrolling in the new federal and state health-care exchanges. The move came after months of prodding from Republicans. ... Obama was enrolled in the D.C. exchange over the weekend, aides said, purchasing a "bronze"-level plan (Rucker and Goldfarb, 12/23).

CBS News: Obama Gets Obamacare
Mr. Obama receives his health care from the military. ... An aide traveling with Mr. Obama on his family vacation in Hawaii said a staffer visited the D.C. exchange office in person to enroll the president, because the nature of his case required an in-person sign up. He was, however, involved in making a decision about which plan he would chose (Kaplan, 12/23).

PoliticoW.H.: Obama Has Signed Up For Insurance Under Obamacare
"Like some Americans, the complicated nature of the president's case required an in-person sign-up," the official said. "As you'd expect, the president's personal information is not readily available in the variety of government databases HealthCare.gov uses to verify identities." Obama signed up for coverage only for himself and not for the rest of the first family, and will pay a premium that's under $400 per month, the official said (Epstein, 12/23).

Source: News Medical