While some Republicans may not like it, it looks like Obamacare has earned at least one important fan abroad.
The English Twitter account of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attracted attention on Wednesday when it used the hashtag #RouhaniCare to label a new health care initiative that will extend medical insurance to all Iranians.
The hashtag is a playful reference to Obama's Affordable Care Act, commonly dubbed "Obamacare."
According to Your Middle East, it was the website's Iran correspondent Alborz Habibi who first used the hashtag in connection with the health care announcement. “Rouhani hinted at an insurance and health care program,” Habibi said on the website. “Then I joked and used RouhaniCare hashtag on Twitter.”
According to Bloomberg News, Rouhani announced the new health care plans in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday night. The speech also covered topics such as the Geneva accords on Iran's nuclear program and the country's economy.
Experts and pundits were quick to respond to the #RouhaniCare tweet, with many referring to the obstacles the Affordable Care Act has faced in the U.S.
If you like your plan you can keep it. RT @HassanRouhani: Gov will extend medical insurance to all Iranians #RouhaniCare
— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) February 5, 2014
The Iranian president told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos last January that he does not run his popular English twitter account himself, but trusts "friends" to post the frequent updates.
Clarification: The headline on this story was changed to highlight that Iranian President Rouhani does not manage his English twitter account personally, and did not originate the phrase "Rouhani care."