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He called the fight "about more than health care," but rather, "the character of our country."

"We finally declared that in America, health care is not a privilege for a few, but a right for everybody," Obama said in a statement.

He cautioned that Republicans and Democrats working to build on the law should "start from the baseline that any changes will make our health care system better, not worse for hardworking Americans."

It's highly unusual for a former president to make such a public and political statement less than 100 days after leaving office, signaling Obama's concern for the law's future.

Obama touted the bill's successes, naming some of the law's key features.

"Thanks to this law, more than 20 million Americans have gained the security and peace of mind of health insurance. Thanks to this law, more than 90% of Americans are insured -- the highest rate in our history. Thanks to this law, the days when women could be charged more than men and Americans with pre-existing conditions could be denied coverage altogether are relics of the past. Seniors have bigger discounts on their prescription drugs. Young people can stay on their parents' plans until they turn 26 years old. And Americans who already had insurance received an upgrade as well -- from free preventive care, like mammograms and vaccines, to improvements in the quality of care in hospitals that has averted nearly 100,000 deaths so far," he wrote.

And he defended against criticism of the bill, addressing rising premiums and charges that Obamacare is a "job-killer."

"Reality continues to discredit the false claim that this law is in a 'death spiral' ... so long as the law is properly administered, this market will remain stable. Likewise, this law is no 'job-killer,' because America's businesses went on a record-breaking streak of job growth in the seven years since I signed it," he said.

Obama has spent the early days of the Trump administration decompressing from his eight years in office, taking trips to Palm Springs, the Caribbean -- where he kite-surfed with Richard Branson -- New York for a play and a lunch with U2's Bono, and his native Hawaii for golf. There are reports, unconfirmed by CNN, that Obama is spending a month on the small French Polynesian island of Tetiaroa.

This isn't the first statement Obama has made since leaving office -- he penned his condolences on the death of Northern Ireland politician Martin McGuinness on Wednesday, and spokesman Kevin Lewis commented earlier this month about Trump's accusation that the President ordered surveillance on him, calling the charge "simply false."

And when protests sprung up across the country in reaction to Trump's initial rollout of a travel ban, Lewis said the President was "heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country."

CNN's Kate Bennett contributed to this report.

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Obama defends signature health care law as GOP seeks repeal - CNN

A president's golf play is far from controversial: In fact, it's the most common pastime of the country's leaders. But before he ran for office, Trump was the most fervent critic of the fact that President Barack Obama regularly hit the links with friends, aides and advisers, arguing that it showed the president was unserious about fixing America's problems.

Now that Trump is President, the comments are coming back to complicate his golf habit.

Trump has visited the two courses near his Mar-a-Lago estate -- Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach and Trump National Golf Course in Jupiter -- 10 times in the first two months of his presidency.

"I'm going to be working for you; I'm not going to have time to go play golf," Trump said during a 2016 event in Virginia.

For the most part, aides have declined to confirm that Trump was playing golf on weekends in Florida, instead repeatedly telling reporters that the President "may" hit a few balls at his course but that they didn't know for sure.

On multiple occasions, though, Trump's games have been made public. CNN has seen Trump golfing -- driving up the 12th hole on his championship course at Trump International Golf Course -- multiple times during the former reality star's first two months in office.

Asked about playing golf before Air Force One took off from Florida, Trump said he played "very little" over the weekend.

It has also been revealed -- through golf blogs and media reports -- that Trump has played with top professional golfers such as Rory McIlroy, one of the top-ranked golfers in the world. While hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Palm Beach last month, Trump also played a full round with the foreign leader and professional golfer Ernie Els.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer defended Trump's golfing habit by citing the one day he hosted the Japanese leader, arguing that Trump utilized golf to "foster deeper relations."

"How you use the game of golf is something that he has talked about," Spicer said.

During his presidency Obama also golfed with foreign leaders, including Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, British Prime Minister David Cameron and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

Trump's preferred course by far is the one closest to his Florida home: Trump International Golf Club. He has visited the course all 10 times he has golfed since becoming President. Only one time -- while hosting Abe -- did the President also visit Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter.

Trump also visited his course in Sterling, Virginia, on March 11 for a meeting. It is unclear whether he played.

Trump made critiquing Obama for golfing a part of his 2016 message.

"I love golf, I think it's one of the greats, but I don't have time," then-President-elect Trump said during a December 2016 rally in Michigan. "He played more golf last year than Tiger Woods. We don't have time for this. We don't have time for this. We have to work."

And before he ran for president, Trump would tweet about Obama's golfing.

"Can you believe that, with all of the problems and difficulties facing the US, President Obama spent the day playing golf," Trump tweeted in October 2014. "Worse than Carter."

Now, citing the President's privacy, Trump's aides are left trying to conceal the President's frequent golfing.

This story has been updated.

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Trump, critic of Obama's golfing, regularly hitting the links ...

Former President Barack Obama received a warm reception from his former colleagues in the state legislature when he delivered a speech on the floor of the Illinois House last year, but he didn't get the same support there Tuesday when lawmakers declined to designate his birthday as a state holiday.

Under a new proposal, state facilities and schools would close each year on Aug. 4, Obama's birthday. But opponents said while it might be good to recognize the former president and ex-state lawmaker, people shouldn't get the day off work. The House measure received 54 votes, six votes short of what it needed to be approved and sent to Obama's old stomping grounds in the Illinois Senate.

Sponsoring Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, used a parliamentary move that will keep the measure alive for another try should she gather enough support. A dozen members of the House didn't vote.

"President Barack Obama, he did great work for the state of Illinois and our country, and I believe we need to do our part in preserving that history," Harper said.

Republicans raised a variety of concerns, from the economic impact of closing state buildings on holidays to the "inconsistent way" presidents from Illinois are recognized. They noted that Tampico-born Republican Ronald Reagan does not have an Illinois holiday in his honor.

Still, they tried to rise above partisan differences, with several GOP members saying they could support the measure if it was changed from a state holiday to a more informal day of recognition, in which schools and state buildings would stay open. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget office estimates state holidays cost $3.2 million in personnel expenses, with another $16 million in lost productivity.

"The concept you are working on here, giving President Obama a day, I think is deserved. I think it's appropriate, but I have a couple of questions about how we are doing it," said Rep. Steve Andersson, R-Geneva.

Andersson said the state could not afford the budget hit given its current financial crisis, and he said he didn't believe an official holiday was needed to recognize Obama's impact on Illinois. Andersson contended that most state holidays have lost their true meaning, instead becoming a day more celebrated for picnics and barbecues.

Harper said she disagreed, saying "if nothing more, the stores have good sales on President's Day and Washington Day." She also said it is important to formally recognize the nation's first African-American president.

She cited his history as a community organizer in Chicago, saying his holiday could be used to organize various volunteer and community improvement events.

"Personally, to me, he helped me to get motivated, get up in my community and organize my community to be the change that we want to see, and we are seeing right now on the ground," Harper said.

Other state proposals to honor Obama include labeling the stretch of Interstate 55 from the Tri-State Tollway to East St. Louis the "Barack Obama Presidential Expressway." A separate measure would dub the Tri-State the "President Barack Obama Tollway."

mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @moniquegarcia

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Obama's home state of Illinois rejects a holiday in his honor ...

In Feb. 2012, Joey Hudy and former president Obama created a stir when they shot a marshmallow across the State Dining Room at the White House Science Fair. (Youtube/The Obama White House)

When Joey Hudy went to the White House in 2012, the 8th grade science whiz captivated President Obama and the world with his large, orange marshmallow cannon.

He and Obama primed the homemade contraption and then blasted its sugary ammo across the room, much to the dismay of the Secret Service.

Ohhh, Obama yelled, before retrieving the marshmallow and Hudys business card, just in case.

It made for a memorial moment, an Obama administrationfavorite, and put Hudy, then 14, into the national spotlight. He became a jet-setting inventor of 3-D body scanners and solar-powered computers, a promoter of STEM programs at Maker Faire and the youngest ever corporate intern at Intel.

In 2015, he returned to the White House as Michelle Obamas State of the Union guest to promote his personal motto: Dont be bored. Make something.

Brilliant.org once named him one of the 10 Smartest Kids in the World.

But recently,Hudys mind betrayed him.

He had graduated from Arizona State University and moved to Hong Kong, his parents told TV station Fox 10, when he began experiencing paranoia and psychosis. He believed the Chinese government was following him and that his apartment was bugged.

It was something I never dreamed of hearing, Hudys mother, Julie Hudy, told Fox 10.

In January, the 2o-year-old was admitted to a psychiatric hospital overseas and diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a disease of the mind that affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves. Symptoms usually manifest anywhere from age 16 to 30, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and can cause those affected to hear and see things that arent real.

Doctors still arent sure what causes schizophrenia, so treatment focuses on eliminating symptoms with antipsychotic medications and psychosocial therapy.

But treating schizophrenia, or any mental illness, can be financially crippling. To help offset the expenses, Hudys older sister, Elizabeth Hudy, created a GoFundMe account on her parents behalf.

Anyone who knows my mother and father knows that they are some of the most generous and caring people you will ever meet, Elizabeth Hudy wrote on the fundraising site. They fill the lives of others with so much love and support and they deserve the same, especially in such a difficult time.

While their son got help at an Ohio treatment center in February, Julie and Victor Hudy lived in a nearby hotel, Elizabeth Hudy wrote. His condition deteriorated and last week, Joey Hudys doctors recommended he be transferred to a long term care facility in Tennessee.

You may not be aware of the significant cost of mental health care in the United States for such a diagnosis, and neither was I, she wrote.

Ten days at the Ohio facility cost $19,500.

A month in Tennessee will cost more than $25,000.

Joey will likely have to stay for a minimum of three months, Elizabeth wrote. After this time we still dont know how long it will take for the medications to be effective or what will be the next steps.

As of Thursday morning, the family had raised $18,400 of its $50,000 goal and the GoFundMe had been widely circulated on social media among those in the Maker Faire community of tech and science enthusiasts and former Obama White House staffers. Among those who had donated was Paulette Aniskoff, a deputy assistant to the president and director of the Office of Public Engagement in the Obama White House.

The family said that any excess funds will go toward helping other families burdened by the cost of mental health care.

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Read more:
The science whiz who dazzled Obama has schizophrenia. His family faces crushing expenses. - Washington Post

Lines of communication between President Trump and former President Barack ObamaBarack ObamaDem rep: Nunes betrayed Intelligence panels independence Why Trump should support CBC priority Trump defends several unsubstantiated claims in interview MORE have gone dark.

The two men havent spoken since Inauguration Day, sources tell The Hill, a drastic turn since their string of phone calls and pleasantries during the presidential transition.

Trump and Obama with their vastly different styles and personalities were never likely to be friends. But the former president, perhaps hoping to preserve some influence with his surprise successor, vowed to have a cordial relationship with the 45th president when he left office.

Since then, Trump has sought to repeal his predecessors signature healthcare legislation while overhauling his regulatory agenda. Hes ordered a travel ban on people from six predominantly Muslim countries a proposal Obama opposes.

And earlier this month, he accused Obama of tapping his phones last year.

That allegation by Trump, declared false by FBI Director James Comey on Monday, left Obama annoyed. Its ridiculous, he told people close to him. He wanted to correct the record, triggering a rare statement from his spokesman, Kevin Lewis.

He wasnt thrilled, said one official close to Obama.

When it impacts the integrity of the White House and the office of the president, thats concerning to him, a second source close to Obama said.

The wiretapping allegation took another turn on Wednesday, when House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) made waves by telling the media and Trump that U.S. intelligence agencies incidentally collected information on Trumps transition team and disseminated it widely.

Nuness briefing resulted in Trump telling reporters that he felt somewhat vindicated, a statement that is sure to prolong a story that began on March 4 and that might get under Obamas skin.

While Obama and Trump havent talked since Inauguration Day, they did try to get in touch early in Trumps presidency.

First, Trump called his predecessor in late January, but Obama was on a cross-country flight at the time, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Sources tell The Hill that Obama tried to return the call with an assistant, who sought to connect the two men.

A Trump aide at the White House told the Obama assistant that Trump had simply called to thank his predecessor for the kind note he left him in the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

Can you relay that message to President Obama? the presidents aide said.

The message was passed along, and the two leaders never attempted to reconnect, sources said.

Jen Psaki, a longtime Obama aide who served as his communications director in his final months in office, said Wednesday in an interview that the understanding of the Trump-Obama relationship was always over-cranked.

Obama conducted a smooth transition, and thats what his focus was on. But that doesnt mean they were going to become golf buddies, Psaki said.

The Hill talked to half a dozen former aides and others in Obamas orbit to ask about the former presidents relationship with his successor.

Those close to Obama say he is doing what hes always said he would do after his presidency: returning to life as a private citizen.

While they say Obama may make public statements from time to time, he wants to give room for other Democrats to find their way.

At the end of the day, hes a former president hes not the face of resistance, said one source close to Obama.

Its time for new voices in the party, Psaki said.

Obama, who recently signed a lucrative book deal with Penguin Random House, has spent much of his time focused on his foundation in Chicago. He has also been enjoying some down time: He and former first lady Michelle ObamaMichelle ObamaObama and Trump havent talked since inauguration For Democrats, no clear leader Obama reportedly spending a month in French Polynesia MORE recently toured the National Gallery in Washington and had lunch in New York with U2 lead singer Bono. He was spotted taking in the Broadway show The Price with his elder daughter, Malia.

This month, the former president has also retreated to French Polynesia, where he will stay for a few weeks, according to numerous reports.

Then-candidate Obama harshly criticized former President George W. Bush and his administration during the 2008 presidential race, but Bush did not return the fire after he left Washington.

Bushs example appeared to leave a mark on Obama, who frequently cited the Bush teams help in the 2009 transition as an example he wanted his staff to follow in 2017.

In the case of Trump and Obama, it is the current president who is firing at the former commander in chief, who has been relatively silent in response.

Trump initially had nice things to say about Obama.

After the two met in November just two days after Trumps victory over Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonObama and Trump havent talked since inauguration Perez, Ellison start multistate turnaround tour for Dems Watergate reporter on Russia: 'Ive been saying for a while theres a coverup going on' MORE, Trump described it on Twitter as a really good meeting, saying the two had great chemistry.

But Trump has since reversed course.

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Trump wrote on Twitter earlier this month.

A few days later, he took to Twitter again to blast Obamas policies on Guantanamo Bay, writing, 122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision, he wrote.

More recently, Trump has taken to ripping Obamas healthcare legislation as the GOP Congress moves to repeal and replace it.

Only a few dozen people have ever held the U.S. presidency, making Obama and Trump members of one of the nations most elite clubs.

Thats made Trumps accusations about Obama tapping his phones all the more remarkable.

Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, said tension between presidents is normal when real policies are on the table.

But he added of Trump and Obama, This is clearly worse than what we usually see.

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Obama and Trump haven't talked since inauguration - The Hill