Obama gets Obamacare

Like many Christmas shoppers, President Obama waited until close to the deadline to sign up for health insurance on the Washington, D.C. marketplace.

A White House official said the president selected and enrolled in a bronze plan available on D.C. Health Link, the insurance marketplace for the nation’s capital. The official noted that the plan was merely symbolic, as the Mr. Obama receives his health care from the military.

Still, “he was pleased to participate in a plan as a show of support for these marketplaces which are providing quality, affordable health care options to more than a million people,” the official said.

An aide traveling with Mr. Obama on his family vacation in Hawaii said a staffer visited the D.C. exchange office in person to enroll the president, because the nature of his case required an in-person sign up. He was, however, involved in making a decision about which plan he would chose.

The president will pay the full premium because his $400,000 salary makes him ineligible for federal subsides.

The administration announced on Monday, the deadline to sign up for insurance that will take affect Jan. 1., that they would give people an extra day to enroll.