English subtitles for clip: File:2013-09-28 President Obama's Weekly Address HD.webm

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The President:
Hi, everybody.

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This Tuesday is an important
day for families, businesses,

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and our economy.

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It's the day a big part of the
Affordable Care Act kicks in,

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and tens of millions
of Americans

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will finally have
the same chance to buy

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quality, affordable health care
as everyone else.

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It's also the day that a group

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of far-right
Republicans in Congress

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might choose to
shut down the government

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and potentially
damage the economy

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just because they
don't like this law.

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I'll get to that in a second.

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But first - here's what
the Affordable Care Act

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means for you.

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If you're one of the vast
majority of Americans

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who already have health care,

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you already have new benefits 
you didn't before,

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like free mammograms

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and contraceptive
care with no copay,

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and discounts on prescription 
medicine for seniors.

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You've already got new
protections in place too,

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like no more lifetime
limits on your care,

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no more discriminating
against children

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with preexisting
conditions like asthma,

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or being able to stay
on your parents' plan

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until you turn 26.

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That's all
in place and available

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to Americans with 
health insurance right now.

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If you don't have
health insurance,

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or if you buy it on
the individual market,

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then starting this
Tuesday, October 1st,

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you can visit HealthCare.gov

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to find what's called
the health insurance marketplace

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in your state.

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This is a website where you can

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compare insurance
plans, side-by-side,

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the same way you'd shop
for a TV or a plane ticket.

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You'll see new choices
and new competition.

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Many of you will
see cheaper prices,

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and many of you will
be eligible for tax credits

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that bring down
your costs even more.

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Nearly 6 in 10 uninsured
Americans will be able

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to get coverage
for $100 or less.

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If you're one
of the up to half of Americans

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with a preexisting condition,

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these new plans mean
your insurer can no longer

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charge you more
than anyone else.

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They can't charge women more
than men for the same coverage.

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And they take
effect January 1st.

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So get covered
at HealthCare.gov.

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And spread the word.

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These marketplaces will be
open for business on Tuesday,

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no matter what.

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The Affordable Care Act is one
of the most important things

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we've done as
a country in decades

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to strengthen economic security 
for the middle class

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and all who strive
to join the middle class.

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And it is going to work.

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That's also one of the reasons
it's so disturbing

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that Republicans
in Congress are threatening

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to shut down the government -
or worse -

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if I don't agree
to gut this law.

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Congress has two
responsibilities right now:

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pass a budget on time,
and pay our bills on time.

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If Congress doesn't
pass a budget by Monday -

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the end of the fiscal year -

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the government shuts down,

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along with many vital services
the American people depend on.

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On Friday,
the Senate passed a bill

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to keep the government open.

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But Republicans in the House
have been more concerned with

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appeasing an extreme faction of
their party than working to pass

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a budget that creates new jobs
or strengthens the middle class.

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And in the next couple days,

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these Republicans
will have to decide

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whether to join the Senate
and keep the government open,

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or create a crisis
that will hurt people

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for the sole
purpose of advancing

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their ideological agenda.

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Past government shutdowns
have disrupted the economy.

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This shutdown would, too.

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At a moment when our economy
has steadily gained traction,

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and our deficits
have been falling faster

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than at any time in 60 years,

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a shutdown would be
a purely self-inflicted wound.

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And that's why many
Republican Senators

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and Republican governors

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have urged Republicans
in the House of Representatives

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to knock it off,
pass a budget, and move on.

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This brings me to the second
responsibility Congress has.

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Once they vote to keep
the government open,

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they must also vote
within the next couple weeks

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to allow the Treasury
to pay the bills

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for the money that
Congress has already spent.

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Failure to meet
this responsibility

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would be far more dangerous
than a government shutdown -

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it would be
an economic shutdown,

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with impacts not just here,
but around the world.

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Unfortunately some
Republicans have suggested that

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unless I agree to an even
longer list of demands -

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not just gutting the
health care law,

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but things like cutting
taxes for millionaires

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or rolling back rules on
big banks and polluters -

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they'll push the button,

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throwing America into default
for the first time in history

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and risk throwing us
back into recession.

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I will work with anyone
who wants to have

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a serious conservation
about our economic future.

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But I will not negotiate over
Congress' responsibility

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to pay the bills it
has already racked up.

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I don't know how to be
more clear about this:

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no one gets to threaten
the full faith and credit

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of the United States of America

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just to extract
ideological concessions.

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No one gets to hurt our economy
and millions of innocent people

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just because there are a
couple laws you don't like.

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It hasn't been done in the past,

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and we're not going to
start doing it now.

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The American people have worked
too hard to recover from crisis

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to see extremists in their
Congress cause another one.

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And every day this goes on
is another day that we can't

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continue the work of rebuilding
the great American middle class.

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Congress needs to pass a budget
in time, pay its bills on time,

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and refocus on the
everyday concerns

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of the people who
sent them there.

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That's what I'm focused on.

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That's what I'll
keep fighting for.

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Thanks so much.