WASHINGTON (AP) – In an April 1 White House press conference, President Barack Obama said that 7.1 million people have signed up for health care under the Affordable Care Act.

Obama said that although sign-ups passed 7 million, there is still a possibility that the number of people enrolled could still rise. People who started applying but couldn’t finish before the April 1 midnight deadline can have extra time, as do potential enrollees whose special circumstances kept them from signing up in time.

Obama said after the initial computer problems that plagued the online insurance exchanges where people could sign up, the law was working as he had hoped.

“The bottom line is this: Under this law, the share of Americans with insurance is up, and the growth of health care costs is down. And that’s good for our middle class, and that’s good for our fiscal future,” the president said.

Obama questioned critics who still argue that the law should be repealed.

“I don’t get it, why are folks working so hard for people not to have health insurance? Why are they so mad about the idea of folks having health insurance? Many of the tall tales that have been told about this law have been debunked,” Obama said. “Armageddon has not arrived. Instead, this law is helping millions of Americans, and in the coming years it will help millions more.”