Sebelius: 'ObamaCare is a badge of honor'

Democrats put healthcare reform front and center on the opening night of their convention Tuesday.

Kathleen Sebelius, the administration's top health official, said she is proud of the Affordable Care Act, borrowing the "ObamaCare" moniker that the administration has sought to reclaim from Republican critics.

"For us Democrats, ObamaCare is a badge of honor," Sebelius told the crowd.

Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel also praised Obama's "courage" in pursuing the politically costly healthcare law. Sebelius and Emanuel followed several speakers who also praised the Affordable Care Act — specifically provisions that expand women's access to contraception and other preventive services.

"This president made it illegal to discriminate against women" by banning insurers from treating pregnancy and domestic abuse as pre-existing conditions, Sebelius said.

Public support for the healthcare law remains divided, but Obama has made it a fixture of his stump speech, and Democrats believe they can win on the issue in light of the uproar over contraception and the Republican ticket's controversial Medicare reform proposal.

Sebelius also took a shot Tuesday night at the Medicare plan, championed by vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

"What's missing from the Romney-Ryan plan for Medicare is Medicare," Sebelius said.

Romney and Ryan's plan would partially privatize Medicare. Seniors would choose between the traditional Medicare program or a subsidy to help pay for private insurance.