The Healthcare.gov website is displayed on a laptop computer arranged for a photograph in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013
The mysterious face of Obamacare is actually a Maryland mom.
The woman whose face graced the Obama administration’s problem-plaged health insurance enrollment website told ABC News that she was harassed online in the weeks following the bungled Oct. 1 launch of the website. Identified by ABC only as Adriana, she said she her photo ended up on Healthcare.gov because she made a deal with the government agency that manages the site to have photos of her family taken in exchange for allowing them to be used to market the new health reform law.
But she said was lambasted by cyberbullies who associated her face with the politically divisive law. The photo was removed late last month and replaced with graphics. She said she was never paid for the photo.
“I mean, I don’t know why people should hate me because it’s just a photo,” she said. “I didn’t design the website. I didn’t make it fail, so I don’t think they should have any reasons to hate me,”
Subject to late-night television jokes, photo-shopped images of her face and even speculation of her American citizenship, Adriana said she was speaking up to “let people know the truth.”
“They didn’t ruin my life. I still have a job, I’m still married,” she said said. “That didn’t really crush me to the ground. I’m fine. Now I laugh about it.”
The Maryland resident, a native of Colombia, is married with a 21-month-old son and has lived in the United States for more than six years. Adriana said her husband and son are U.S. citizens and she is currently a permanent resident applying for citizenship.
[ABC]