Finally a wee bit of truth from White House spokesperson Jay Carney. I’m shocked that he didn’t punt this question to the Health & Human Services Department as well, but he answered it.
Ed Henry asked during today’s press briefing, “The president, when he was trying to get the law passed, repeatedly said, if you currently have health insurance you will be able to keep your plan. This morning David Axelrod was pressed on that point and said, the majority — the vast majority — will be able to keep their plans. He no longer works at the from White House. From the podium, will you admit that when president said, if you have a plan, you’ll get to keep it, that that was not true?
Carney said after first attempting to spin the news, “So it’s true there are existing health care plans on the individual market that do not meet those minimum standards and therefore do not qualify for the Affordable Care Act.”
It’s kind of hard, even for Jay Carney, to spin the news about health insurance cancellations occurring all over the country. Last week Kaiser Health News reported that thousands of consumers received cancellation notices. Then the Independent Mail out of Anderson, SC reports that many insured South Carolina residents must buy new health plans.
And many South Carolinians with health insurance are learning they too must buy a new policy. Despite President Barack Obama’s promise that those who like their health plans will be able to keep it, residents across the country are being notified they must switch to a more comprehensive, and often more expensive, policy that complies with the federal law.
Policies sold or altered after the health care law passed in 2010 must meet its requirements. That means many people who buy their own insurance will need to choose a new plan for 2014.
Alaska Natives were faced with a quandry as well. Many Alaska Natives receive care from a tribal provider, but that doesn’t count as health insurance under the Affordable Care Act so they either have to qualify for a waiver, buy insurance or face a penalty.
National Review, in today’s editorial, said “the part of the Obamacare rollout that is going most smoothly and affecting the most people is the cancellation of current insurance polices.” They note that in total almost 16 million people may be dumped from their insurance plans contrary to President Obama’s promise that you can keep your plan if you like it.
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