Former U.S. President Barack Obama said Sunday in Boston that "political courage" is needed to preserve progress made in health care reform under his administration.
Obama noted in an award ceremony that many members of Congress had to take tough votes to end the debate "about whether a nation as wealthy as the United States of America would finally make health care not a privilege but a right."
"There was a reason why health care reform was not accomplished before, it was hard," Obama said.
"It involved a sixth of the economy, and all manners of interests and stakeholders, it was easily subject to misinformation and fear mongering," he said.
"Many of them lost their seats after the vote," Obama said.
Obama's comments came as the Republican party is working to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, with their own health care plan, the American Health Care Act.
The Republicans have carried the bill through the House on Thursday and it is waiting for Senate Republicans' input.
Obamacare is considered one of the major legacies of Obama's tenure, but drew ire from many voters because of technical glitches and raised premiums for many.
The Democratic Party lost its majority in first the House and later the Senate following the passing of Obamacare, conceding dozens of seats to Republicans who ran on the platform of "repeal and replacing" Obamacare.
