Two and a half million people have enrolled in the Affordable Care Act since the Biden administration opened a special enrollment period in February, the White House announced Tuesday.

During a speech at Brentwood Health Center in Washington, D.C., Vice President Kamala Harris touted that number while also urging Americans in need of coverage to sign up through HealthCare.gov before the enrollment period ends Sunday.

“That is 2½ million people who can rest easier knowing that they can go to the doctor without taking on debt, or heaven forbid, if there is a sudden accident or illness that they can get the care they need,” Harris said. “And I don't need to tell anybody here, this is especially important now, while we are in the middle of a major public health crisis.”

Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, passed by Congress in March, included enhanced tax credits that lowered premiums for millions of Americans who buy their coverage through the ACA. Harris called on Congress to make those tax breaks permanent, which the White House projects would open the door for 4 million additional Americans to gain coverage. The proposal is part of Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.

“The tax cuts ... are giving our nation's families much-needed relief,” Harris said, wearing a mask for the entire speech.

“If we do not extend these tax cuts, people will lose out, and they will probably lose their coverage. So we have to get this done,” she added.

The enhanced tax credits are saving 9 million Americans about $40 per person per month, the White House said. For a family of four, that adds up to nearly $2,000 a year. According to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, since April 1, more than one-third of new and returning HealthCare.gov customers have signed up for plans with premiums costing $10 or less, and returning customers have seen their premiums drop 40% on average.

“President Joe Biden and I believe that health care … must be a right. Not a privilege, a right to which all people are entitled,” Harris said. “We also believe health care, in the form of health insurance, must be affordable for all Americans. 

“When people have affordable health insurance, they have the opportunity to make decisions about their life,” she continued. “They have options. But without affordable health insurance, those options are limited, and life can then be daunting.”

Harris was introduced by Laura Hatcher, a small business owner with a disabled son introduced. Hatcher said everyone in her family has preexisting conditions and that the American Rescue Plan has saved her $600 a month. She said she also hopes the subsidy can remain in place.

“That is peace of mind,” she said.

More than 30 million Americans are currently covered under the Affordable Care Act, which is often colloquially referred to as “Obamacare.”

Harris also urged Congress to pass legislation that would expand Medicare coverage to include comprehensive dental, vision, and hearing services to offer federally administered Medicaid in states that have declined to expand the program.

Harris delivered her speech as part of National Health Center Week. Before speaking, she stopped at a nurses’ station and thanked the staff.

“This is where the real work happens,” she said. “You all have been holding it down through the course of the pandemic. I know you’ve seen ups and downs.

“We’re going to get through this,” she told the group of about 13 nurses.