Rahm's Obamacare advice was 'do something slightly different'

Mayor Rahm Emanuel says that when he was in the White House he advised President Barack Obama to “do something slightly different’” than the health care reform that came be known as Obamacare.

But the former presidential chief of staff said he does not consider Obamacare a mistake.

“No,” he told an interviewer on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday.

Emanuel said his old boss asked his opinion on the bill at “three different moments in time.”

“To his credit, he didn’t want a yes person,” the mayor said. “He asked me my opinion. I gave him why I thought we should do something slightly different.”

“He was strong enough, and he had the character to ask for a contrary opinion, and I gave it to him unvarnished.

“That said, health care costs are done, are down, people with pre-existing conditions have coverage, children who are up to the age of 26 get to stay on their parents’ plan. There is a tremendous amount of reform.

“Does it need to be changed and reformed going on? Absolutely. Was it the right thing for the long term of the country to get health care costs that were running at an exorbitant rate under control? Absolutely.”

On Thursday, the White House announced that 6 million people have signed up for coverage.