President Obama did not mention HealthCare.gov or ObamaCare’s current enrollment period in his State of the Union address, a major departure from last year’s speech.
Obama made scant reference to the healthcare law on Tuesday night, never mentioning it by name or acknowledging the details of Republican attacks.
{mosads}The general remarks skipped over the federal health insurance enrollment site, which remains open for sign-ups until Feb. 15.
Federal health officials have devoted significant energy to urging people in the United States to buy plans, hoping to reach an enrollment goal of 9 million for 2015. Obama did not mention the goal or the deadline in his speech.
It was a far cry from last year, when Obama’s address came after a dramatic turnaround at HealthCare.gov.
The president devoted several minutes to address the debate over the law.
“I don’t expect to convince my Republican friends on the merits of this law,” Obama said last year.
“But I know that the American people aren’t interested in refighting old battles. So again, if you have specific plans to cut costs, cover more people, and increase choice — tell America what you’d do differently.”
Obama also encouraged people to sign up by the deadline.
“Moms, get on your kids to sign up. Kids, call your mom and walk her through the application. It will give her some peace of mind – plus, she’ll appreciate hearing from you,” he said.