Obama defends latest delay to his healthcare law

By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Tuesday defended the latest delay in his healthcare law's employer mandate, saying it follows similar relief his administration has already given to certain individuals. In an apparent response to heightened Republican criticism, the president also asserted that the law known as Obamacare will be "good for" the U.S. economy, despite a recent government estimate that it will shrink the labor force by the equivalent of 2.5 million full-time workers over the next decade. Our goal is to make sure that we've got people who can count on the financial security that health insurance provides," Obama said at a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande. Obama was speaking a day after his administration announced a new delay in a contentious requirement that all but the smallest businesses provide health coverage for their full-time employees or pay a tax penalty.