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President Encourages Oakland Residents To Sign Up For Health Care

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS SF) -- During a one-on-one interview with the President Obama Wednesday, KPIX 5's Allen Martin discussed the President's push for residents Oakland to sign up for the Affordable Health Care Act ahead of this Sunday's deadline.

A good portion of Allen's conversation focused how Obamacare has worked in the Bay Area and particularly in Oakland. Health care reform, he says, is working but could work better.

"Healthcare inflation has gone up at the slowest rate over the last three or four years," said President Obama. "We've had the strongest job growth since 1990s since this law passed. So all the horror stories about how this was going to be terrible for the economy or the American people haven't come to pass."

The President is pushing 20 cities -- two in California, including Oakland -- to rise to his challenge and sign up more people for the Affordable Care Act before the January 31 deadline on Sunday.

White House figures show there are 134,000 residents in the East Bay who are eligible for health care but simply haven't signed up.

"Seven out of ten people, they're going to be able to get good quality health insurance for $75 a month. That means they can get health insurance for less than their cell phone bill," said the president.

But Bay Area Republican and former Chair of the state GOP Tom Del Beccaro disagreed, saying it really does come down to people not being able to afford coverage.

"Premiums are rising in the Bay area. My premium alone is doubled in the last five years," said Del Beccaro. "And so the question really is, are people getting healthcare not insurance? Because it's okay to have insurance but if you have really high deductibles you're not actually getting healthcare."

Oakland is being targeted because it has lagged behind in participants in the Affordable Care Act. During the interview, Martin pointed out to the President that some would insist they still cant afford subsidized health care.

"There are people in Oakland who have a legitimate argument -- I think -- when they say, Look, gentrification is real in Oakland now. Tech companies are moving in. I can barely afford a roof over my head and food, how am I supposed to afford health care, even if it is through Obamacare?" he asked.

"I am saying that if you get sick, if you get – heaven forbid – in a serious accident, you want that financial security," explained the President.

But Beccaro argued Republicans can -- and he believes will --come up with something better.

"I think the Republicans need to come forward with a plan that actually helps people and there's a variety of ways to do that," said Del Beccero. "Through a flat tax which I proposed, or they could do it through health savings accounts."

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell also told KPIX 5 that boosting enrollment numbers is not just about the President's legacy.

"One thing it is about is reducing the number of uninsured," said Burwell. "We agree with that and -- whether that's through better unemployment rates, better unemployment rates -- that we've seen lower unemployment rates as a nation where people are getting coverage through their jobs or through the Medicaid expansion."

Interested parties can sign up for the Affordable Health Care Act through the Covered California website.

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