Obama seeks to allay Democrats’ fears on Obamacare

By Thomas Ferraro and Richard Cowan CAMBRIDGE, Maryland (Reuters) – President Barack Obama sought on Friday to ease strains with his Democratic allies in the U.S. Congress, who are fearful they could face election consequences from the botched rollout of the president's signature healthcare law known as "Obamacare." Speaking to House of Representatives Democrats during their three-day retreat, Obama cited an increase in the number of people signing up for insurance coverage under Obamacare as evidence that the law's implementation was going more smoothly after a troubled start. Republicans, who have denounced Obamacare as an unpopular disaster, have put the issue at the center of their strategy for November's congressional elections. But Obama has touted the administration's progress in ironing out the glitches. At the retreat, he predicted that the 2010 Affordable Care Act will be seen by Americans in five to 10 years as "a monumental achievement." "We now have well over 3.5 million people who have signed up and are getting insurance through the marketplaces for the first time," Obama said.