Obama defends massive health care overhaul, says lowering costs will take time

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Obama defends massive health care overhaul

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is defending his massive health care overhaul, saying it will take time for its full benefits to take hold.

Speaking at a White House news conference, Obama says the long-term trends of how much the average family pays for health care will go down as reforms are fully implemented. Obama says the bill he championed and signed into law earlier this year will have the single biggest impact on bringing down the country’s deficit.

Obama says he understands that in an election year, some Democrats may try to distance themselves from the health care overhaul, which is a contentious issue.