WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday that 1 million Americans had signed up for health insurance under “Obamacare” during a special enrollment period for those needing coverage during the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden reopened the HealthCare.gov insurance markets in February for a special six-month sign-up opportunity.

“Health care is a right, not a privilege — and ensuring that every single American has access to the quality, affordable health care they need is a national imperative,” he said in a statement.

The special enrollment period was opened to help the number of uninsured Americans due to job losses from the economic hit of the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden has promised to build on President Barack Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act to push the U.S. toward coverage for all. He said the law commonly referred to as “Obamacare” has been “a lifeline for millions of Americans” since it became law more than a decade ago.

Biden said the U.S. had made “enormous progress” in expanding access to health insurance through this special enrollment period.

Former President Donald Trump’s administration had hoped to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act or at least limit it to some degree. A Supreme Court decision on Trump’s final legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act is expected this year.