Obama, on campaign swing, says health law 'here to stay'

On a bus tour in Ohio, the president touts his health overhaul, adding he was willing to work with critics to improve the legislation that requires most Americans to purchase health care.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Takes The Offensive On His Healthcare Law
A week after the Supreme Court upheld most of President Obama's signature domestic policy achievement, the politics of healthcare held center stage in the presidential campaign, shoving aside the economic debate that has dominated most of the last several months. In a notable shift of tactics after months of talking only minimally about healthcare in public, Obama went on the offensive Thursday and emphasized the law during a campaign bus trip through the crucial swing state of Ohio. As he did so, his Republican challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, was on the defensive, under attack from leading conservatives for purported failures in handling the issue (Parsons and Landsberg, 7/5).

The Washington Post: Obama On Health Care: 'The Law I Passed Is Here To Stay'
President Obama declared victory Thursday in the two-year fight over his health care reform bill, declaring at a campaign rally that "the law I passed is here to stay." Obama told a crowd of about 500 supporters in this town just south of Toledo that he was willing to work with critics to improve the legislation that requires all Americans to purchase health care. But he vowed that there was no turning back on the law (Nakamura, 7/5).

Politico: Obama: Health Care Law 'Is Here To Stay'
President Obama said that repealing his signature health care law is not an option. ... In the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision last week upholding the law, Republicans have vowed to renew their efforts to get rid of the law. But Obama defended the provisions in his law as benefiting Americans -; and keeping insurance companies from abusing their power (Epstein, 7/5).

The Hill (Video): Obama: Health Law 'Here To Stay'
It's the first time Obama has mentioned the ruling on the campaign trail. Later, at a campaign stop in Sandusky, Ohio, Obama told a crowd of about 350 people that with the Supreme Court's ruling to uphold the bulk of the law, it was time for Republicans to move on. "We fought so hard to make that happen and now the Supreme Court has ruled, it's time for us to move forward," Obama said. "We don't have to re-litigate the last two years. I don't want us to keep having political arguments that are based on politics and not on facts" (Cohn, 7/5).

Modern Healthcare: Reform Law 'Here To Stay,' Obama Says
President Barack Obama blasted both efforts to repeal his healthcare law and to replace it with Republican-backed alternatives. "I'll work with anybody who wants to work with me to continue to improve our healthcare system and our healthcare laws," Obama said at a Maumee, Ohio, campaign rally Thursday. "But the law I passed is here to stay." He criticized repeal efforts because of the anticipated effects, including reduced insurance coverage and the return of certain insurance underwriting practices (Daly, 7/5).

The Washington Post: Obama Meets Natoma Canfield, Ohio Woman Whose Letter Inspired Him On Health Care
After the Supreme Court upheld his health care law last week, President Obama thanked Natoma Canfield in a televised address to the nation. On Thursday, he thanked her in person. Canfield, a cancer survivor, wrote a plaintive letter to Obama in December 2009 after losing her health insurance, a note the president hung on the wall of the Oval Office. "I carried Natoma's story with me every day of the fight to pass this law," Obama said last week (Nakamura, 7/5).

Politico: Sobbing Woman Thanks Obama For Health Care Law
An emotional Ohio voter personally thanked President Obama for passing a health care overhaul, relating the story of her late sister's battle with cancer. After Obama's speech in Sandusky, he encountered a sobbing Stephanie Miller, who later told reporters about her encounter with Obama. "I thanked him for the getting the Affordable Health Act passed," Miller said (Tau and Epstein, 7/5).

Meanwhile, a new poll finds concerns about the law's effect on the economy.

The Hill: Poll: Health Law Will Hurt Economy More Than Help
A plurality of Americans believe the healthcare law will do more harm than good to the economy, according to a new poll. The finding comes one week after the Supreme Court upheld the law and as fallout from the decision begins to overtake the presidential race. According to Gallup, 46 percent said the law will hurt the economy, while 37 percent said it would help. Seventeen percent expressed no opinion. The full breakdown paralleled the opinions expressed by independent voters, 47 percent of whom said the law would harm the economy and 34 percent of whom said it would help (Viebeck, 7/5).