President Barack Obama said during an interview with Extra correspondent Jerry Penacoli that he is happy when he receives positive feedback from individuals regarding their healthcare experiences since the advent of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but also receives criticism from those who abhor the law, some who even call him an "idiot," according to The Hill.
"I get 10 letters a night out of the 40,000 letters and emails and messages that we get," President Obama told Mr. Penacoli. "Some of them are just saying thank you for something. Some of them are saying, 'You're an idiot.'"
President Obama writes letters back to these people, saying he tries to address their concerns.
"One of the things I try to remind people of — what we do here, what the Supreme Court does, what Congress does — these aren't just abstractions," President Obama said. "These are things that really matter in people's lives."
They matter, for example, to people like Mr. Penacoli. During the interview, Mr. Penacoli thanked President Obama for the health reform law, which he says "pretty much saved my finances and my life" during his fight against cancer.
According to The Hill, the decision to advocate for the PPACA on entertainment television is part of the White House's effort to communicate with the American public across a variety of channels.