Today the Obama Administration announced that more than 7 million people had signed up for health insurance through healthcare.gov. This exceeds projections made by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office made before the famously troubled website rolled out last fall.

I hope this good news will get as much coverage as the saturation coverage the website’s troubles received. We all know that bad news travels faster than good.  We know opponents of health reform will give this success no credit. But hopefully independent observers and the public will recognize the contribution that the Affordable Care Act has made to the well-being of millions of Americans – many in desperate need of health coverage.

And, this success merits a tip of the hat to the many thousands of people nationwide who helped to make this happen – the dedicated public servant in federal and state government as well as the countless enrollment assisters, navigators and many organizations who did education, outreach and informal consumer assistance. While we know that ongoing improvements are needed, it is important to take a moment and appreciate the enormity of this achievement.