[applause] Vice President biden thank you all. [applause] Vice President biden thank you all. Et them celebrate. Mr. President , i think weve got a happy room here. It seems ridiculous to say thank you all for being here. Ladies and gentlemen, to state the obvious, this is a historic day. [applause] in our business, we use that phrase a lot, but i cant think of a day in the 37 years i was a United States senator or the short time ive been Vice President that its been more appropriately stated. This is a historic day. And history, history is not merely what is printed in textbooks. It doesnt begin or end with the stroke of a pen. History is made, history is made when men and women decide that theres a greater risk in accepting the situation that we cannot bear than in steeling our spine and embracing the promise of change. Thats when history is made. [applause] history is made when you all assemble here today, members of Congress Take charge to change the lives of tens of millions of americans. Through the efforts of those of us lucky enough to serve here in this town, thats exactly what youve done. Youve made history. History history is made when a leader steps up, stays true to his values, and charts a fundamentally different course for the country. History is made when the lead when a leaders passion is matched with principle to set a new course. Ladies and gentlemen, mr. President , you are that leader. [applause] you deserve it. Mr. President , your fierce advocacy, the clarity of purpose that you showed, your perseverance, these are in fact, it is not hyperbole to say it, these are the reasons we are assembled in this room together, today. But for those attributes we would not be here. Many, many men and women are going to feel the pride that i feel in watching you shortly, watching you sign this bill. Knowing that their work, their work had helped make this day possible. Mr. President , youre the guy that made it happen. O mr. President , [applause] mr. President , all of us, assembled in town over the years, we have seen some incredible things happen. But now owe but you know, mr. President , youve done what generations of not just ordinary but great men and women have attempted to do. Republicans as well as democrats. Theyve tried before. Everybody knows the story. Starting with Teddy Roosevelt. They tried. They were real bold leaders. But plcht, they fell short. You have turned, mr. President , the right of every american to have access to Decent Health care into reality. [applause] mr. President , ive gotten to know you well enough, you want me to stop, because im embarrassing you, but im not going to strap for another minute, mr. President you delivered on a promise a promise you made to all americans when we moved into this building. Mr. President , you are, to repeat myself, literally about to make history. Our children and our grandchildren, theyre going to grow up knowing that a man named barack obama put the final girder in the framework for a social network in this country to provide the single most important element of what people need, and that is access to good health. [applause] and that every american from this day forward will be treated with simple fairness and basic justice. Look, the classic poet virgil once said that the greatest wealth is health. The greatest wealth is health. Today, america becomes a whole lot wealth yever because tens of millions of americans will be a whole lot healthier from this moment on. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States of america, barack obama. [applause] president obama thanks, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. [applause] thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you, everybody, please. Have a seat. Hank you, joe. Vice President Biden good to be with you, mr. President. President obama today after almost a century of trying, today, after over a year of debate. Today, after all the votes have been tallied, Health Insurance reform becomes law in the United States of america. [applause] today. It is fitting that Congress Pass this historic legislation this week. For as we mark the turning of spring, we also mark a new season in america. In a few moments, when i sign this bill, all of the overheated rhetoric, over reform, will finally confront the reality of eform. While the senate still has a last round of improvements to make on this historic legislation and these are improvements im confident they will make swiftly. [applause] will set in signing motion reforms that generations of americans have fought for and marched for and hungered to see. Itll take four years to implement fully many of these reforms because we need to implement them responsibly. We need to get this right. But a host of desperately needed reforms will take effect right away. This year [applause] this year well start offering tax credits to about four million Small Business men and women to help them cover the cost of insurance for their employees. Hat happens this year. This year, tens of thousands of uninsured americans with preexisting conditions, the parents of children who have a preexisting condition, will finally be able to purchase the coverage they need. Hat happen this is year. This year, Insurance Companies will no longer be able to drop peoples coverage when when they get sick. [applause] they wont be able to place lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on the amount of care they can receive. This year this year all new insurance plans will be required to offer free Preventive Care and this year young adults will be able to stay on their parents policies until they are 26 years old. Hat happen this is year. That happens this year. And this year, seniors who fall in the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole will start getting some help. Theyll receive 250 to help pay for prescriptions and that will, over time, fill in the doughnut hole and i want seniors to know, despite what some have said, these reforms will not cut your guaranteed benefits. In fact, under this law, americans on medicare will receive free prevent i care without copayments or deductibles. That begins this year. Once this reform is implemented, Health Insurance exchanges will be created. A competitive marketplace where uninsured people and Small Businesses will finally be able to purchase affordable quality insurance. They will be able to be part of a big pool and get the same good deal that members of congress get. Thats whats going to happen under this reform. And when this exchange is up and running, millions of people will get tax breaks to help them afford coverage, which represents the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history. Thats what this reform is about. [applause] this legislation will also lower costs for families, for businesses, and for the federal government, redeucing our deficit by over 1 trillion in the next two decades. It is paid for, it is fiscally responsible and it will help lift a decadeslong drag on our economy. Of you rt of what all together worked on and made appen. That our generation is able to succeed in passing this reform is a testament to the persistence and the character of the American People who championed this cause, who mobilized, who organized, who believed that people that whove this country can change it. Its also testament to the historic leadership and uncommon courage of the men and women of the United States congress, who have taken their lumps in this difficult debate. Yes we did [laughter] president obama there are few tougher jobs in politics or government than leading one of our legislative chambers. In each chamber there are men and women who come from different places and face different pressures. Who reach different conclusions about the same things. And feel depp doop feel deeply concerned about different things. By necessity, lead verse to speak to those different concerns. It isnt always tidy, it is almost never easy. But perhaps the greatest and most difficult challenge is to cobble together out of these differences the sense of common interest an common purpose thats required to advance the dreams of all people. Especially in a country as large and diverse as ours. And we are blessed by leaders in each chamber who not only do their jobs very well but who never lost sight of that larger mission. They didnt play for the shortterm. They didnt play to the polls or to politics. One of the best seekers speakers the house of representatives has ever had [applause] nancy pelosi. Cheers and applause] president ncy] obama one of the best majority leaders the senate has ever had, r. Harry reid. [applause] to all the terrific committee chairs, all the members of congress who did what was difficult but did what was right and passed health care reform, not just this generation of americans will thank you, but the next generation of americans will thank you. And of course this victory was also made possible by the painstaking work of members of this administration, including our outstanding secretary of health and human service, kathleen sebelius. [applause] and one of the Unsung Heroes of this effort, an extraordinary woman who led the reform effort from the white house, nancy ann depaul. [applause] today, im signing this reform bill into law on behalf of my mother. Who argued with Insurance Companies even as she battled cancer in her final days. Im signing it for ryan smith, who is here today. He runs a Small Business with five employees, hes trying to do the right thing, paying half the cost of coverage for his workers. This bill will help him afford that coverage. M signing it for 11yearold marcella sulllins, who is also ere. Arcella [applause] marcellus lost his mom to an illness. She didnt have insurance and couldnt afford the care she needed. Hes told his story across america so no other children have to go through what his family experienced. [applause] m signing it for natoma canfield. She had to give up her Health Coverage after her rates were jacked up by more than 40 . She was terrified an illness would mean shes lose the house her parents built so she gave up her insurance. Now shes lying in a hospital bed, as we speak, faced with just such an illness, praying that she can somehow afford to get well without insurance. Natomas family is here today because natoma cant be, and her sister connie is here, connie, stand up. [applause] im signing this bill for all the leaders who took up this cause through the generations. From Teddy Roosevelt to franklin roosevelt. From harry truman to lyndon johnson. From bill and Hillary Clinton to one of the deans who has been fighting this so long, john dingell. [applause] to senator ted kennedy. [applause] teds widow vicki is here. [applause] its fitting that teddys widow vicki is here and his niece caroline. His son patrick, whose vote helped make this reform a reality. I remember seeing ted walk through that door in a summit in this room a year ago, one of his last public appearances. I it was hard for him to make it. But he was confident that we would do the right thing. Our presence here today is remarkable and improbable. All the punditry, all the lobbying, all the gameplaying that passes for governing in washington, its been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing. Such a complicated thing. To wonder if there are limits to what we as a people can still achieve. Its easy to succumb to the sense of cynicism about whats possible in this country. But today we are affirming that essential truth. A truth every generation is called to rediscover for itself. That we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. We are not a nation ha that falls prey to doubt or mistrust. We dont fall prey to fear. We are not a nation that does what is easy. Thats not who we are. Thats not how we got here. We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities. We are a nation that does what is hard what is necessary what is right. Here in this country, we shape our own destiny. That is what we do, that is who we are. That is what makes us the United States of america. An we are now just enshrined as soon as i sign this bill the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care. And it is an extraordinary achievement that its happened that has happened because of all of you and advocates across the country so thank you. Thank you, god bless you and may god bless the United States of america. [applause] s thank you. Thank you. [applause] all right. I would now like to call up to the stage some member of congress who helped make this day possible and some of the americans who will benefit from these reforms and were going to ign this bill. [applause] president obama all these pens, its going to take a really long ime. Did practice. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] exactly seven years ago the signing ceremony for the Affordable Care act on march 23 in 2010. That was the time the democratic control of congress and obviously democratic president. Now with a republican president and republican congress, the house preparing to debate this afternoon the American Health care act