The president now has health care coverage—times two.
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In a move that the White House is calling a symbolic show of President Obama's support for the newly enacted health care system, the president's aides enrolled him using healthcare.gov, even though the president's medical needs are met through the military, the Associated Press reports.
Obama signed up for the "bronze" health plan, the cheapest option for a person his age, which will cost less than $400 a month. Because of his income, the president will not be eligible for tax benefits that a normal American would receive to offset the premium cost, therefore he will pay the monthly price out of pocket.
The president couldn't actually sign up for health care himself.
"The complicated nature of the president's case required an in-person sign-up," the White House said.
The president's personal information, which is needed for enrollment, isn't readily available in government databases, White House officials noted and AP reports.
The president's enrollment in the health care exchange came just before Monday's deadline to sign up for insurance that would become available Jan. 1, 2014. Anticipating heavy website traffic, the Obama administration allowed many states a one-day grace period to select a plan. By the afternoon, the administration said that the website had received a record 850,000 visits, five times the number received the week before, AP reports.
Read more at the Associated Press.
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