Obama declares Obamacare 'here to stay' as health coverage marks 7.1 mln sign-ups

President Barack Obama has declared Obamacare is 'here to stay', as he celebrated a better-than-expected 7.1 million sign-ups for the health coverage.

Nearly three million people enrolled in plans over the last month as they fought against time to beat Monday's deadline for having insurance and avoiding the individual mandate tax penalty.

According to the Washington Times, the final enrollment figure of 7.1 million means the Obama administration has achieved its target and overcoming the website glitches that had threatened to derail the law.

However, Republicans said the seven-million mark obscures key questions such as how many of those have actually paid their premiums or already had insurance but lost it because of Obamacare, the report said.

The House is scheduled to vote this week on a bill that would revise Obamacare's definition of a full-time work week from 30 hours to a more traditional 40 hours, the report added.