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1310633 tn?1430224091

GOP on insurance cancellations: "We told you so"

Washington (CNN) - The White House isn't in damage-control mode solely over a bad health care website.

As the Obama administration is trying to calm concerns across the country from Americans being dropped from their current plans, Republicans on Capitol Hill are saying, "We told you so."

In March 2010, then-Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, came to the House floor as Democrats were poised to pass Obamacare and issued a warning.

"Look at this bill," Boehner said. "Ask yourself: Do you really believe that if you like the health plan that you have, that you can keep it? No, you can't."

Boehner's remarks are just one example of a Republican effort before the health care bill became the law of the land to push back on President Barack Obama's relentless sales pitch, like the one he made to the American Medical Association in June 2009.

"If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period," Obama said. "No one will take it away from you, no matter what."

When the President made that statement during the heat of the health care legislative battle, Rep. Tom Price, R-Georgia, dismissed the commander in chief's promise in a weekly Republican address.

"If you read the bill, that just isn't so," Price said. "For starters, within five years, every health care plan will have to meet a new federal definition for coverage, one that your current plan might not match, even if you like it."

Fast forward three years, and that's exactly what's happening.

Insurance companies continue to drop Americans from their health plans, many because the policies they had don't meet the coverage requirements under Obamacare.

The development has Democrats trying to calm concerned constituents by calling the ramped-up requirements a good thing.

"If we don't enforce this policy, insurance companies can continue offering flimsy coverage that disappears when people actually need it, and no one should want that," Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California, told peers during a congressional hearing on the law's rollout Wednesday.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius struggled to explain that some current plans are no longer available because they're bad for consumers and no longer legal.

"Many women are charged 50 percent more than men. That will be illegal," Sebelius said.

However, all this creates a problem for the administration because it's not what people expected when they heard Obama promise over and over that, "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan."

While Republicans remain eager to say, "I told you so," many Democrats are private regretful - and frustrated - that they left Americans with so many expectations that did not pan out.

The No. 2 House Democrat, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, admitted earlier this week that his caucus and the administration should have been "more precise" in explaining not everyone will be able to keep plans they like, especially plans without mandatory coverage.

SOURCE: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/31/gop-on-insurance-cancellations-we-told-you-so/
16 Responses
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Avatar universal
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”


― Winston Churchill
Helpful - 0
1310633 tn?1430224091
JUST read the Washington Post article (you posted above).

Talk about a kick to the groin...

In a nut-shell: just because you can write a law, doesn't mean you can implement said law.

That's the way I read it (and weep).
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Avatar universal
Thanks for posting that story.  Inexperience..... again.
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1310633 tn?1430224091
Not sure about you, but i'm not completely surprised that the rollout of the site has crashed & burned.

ANYTHING that the gov't touches, turns to $hit. Why did anyone think this would be any different?

Obama (et all Dems who supported the ACA) dolled out contracts, to build the site, to their friends & ex- colleagues.

And people wonder why it failed?
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Avatar universal
I thought it was an excellent article as well, outlining political motivation and it's destruction of this country, as much as the ACA timeline roll out debacle.

It's mind boggling to think how poorly managed the ACA roll out has been. In the private sector heads would be chopped off by shareholders. In this case it appears a promotion was even in order!
Helpful - 0
206807 tn?1331936184
That explains a lot. Thanks for posting it.
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Avatar universal
Politics at it's ugliest.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/challenges-have-dogged-obamas-health-plan-since-2010/2013/11/02/453fba42-426b-11e3-a624-41d661b0bb78_story.html?hpid=z1
Helpful - 0
649848 tn?1534633700
Apparently, unbeknownst to the general public, there are minimum standards for policies, in order to meet the criteria of the ACA, and many existing policies do not, so they have to be dropped.  I agree that keeping your plan wasn't part of the deal, but of course, if that had been said in plain terms, most people would not have been for it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My wife brought that to my attention.  It still has me thinking about "if you like your plan, keep it......"

Politicians, people in general need to quit saying things they don't mean.  From the look of things, being able to keep your plan wasn't even part of the deal for some Americans.

I'll hold these people accountable for that as well.  To me, this makes the deal just that much more cloudy.
Helpful - 0
649848 tn?1534633700
I was reading an article last night that said the biggest reason people are being dropped/can't keep their old plan is because too many of the plans don't meet the specifications set forth in the ACA.  

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I was having a discussion about the "keep your old plan" thing just yesterday. I still cannot discern the truth in all of this, but I do know that people are being dropped....  The discussion I was in brought about the notion that employers are dropping insurance coverage which is causing people to be dropped.....  All I said is, "I don't remember that being part of the deal".

Fact of the matter is, I don't think we even come close to knowing what the deal is.  I'm still for moving forward.  If this thing is going to unwind, it will do it by itself and the republicans and tea party can sit around all day and say "I told you so".  It would behoove them to have a quick fast plan to implement in the event of a failure.  

I don't think politicians think that far ahead however.  
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649848 tn?1534633700
"Those words keep spinning in my head and I wonder how in the hell someone saying something like that can ever get re-elected...."   Totally agree; we should never have to pass a bill to find out what's in it... that should all be up front and center!!

Pelosi trustworthy?  I don't think so. They should have stuffed a sock in her mouth from the get go, but I guess the stench can come from either end...

IMO - Pelosi is one of the main reasons people hate this bill; not to mention that we were lied to, about keeping insurance plans we liked..

I am so glad that my husband goes on Medicare Jan 1; that will reduce our $1000+/month health care insurance bill to < $400/month for just me... still ridiculous, but more manageable.

I really wish the Tea Party brats would have not shut down the government over the ACA;  I didn't like, didn't want it, the way it was going, but if they'd left it alone, it could have undone itself and maybe something better would have been born.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I still can't believe that woman said that....  Those words keep spinning in my head and I wonder how in the hell someone saying something like that can ever get re-elected....  

Maybe its just me, but I don't think she even looks trustworthy.  She has a look on her face like she is doing all she can to hold back the truth or a big bowel movement.  
Helpful - 0
206807 tn?1331936184
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV-05TLiiLU

  
This is what happens when people blindly follow and don't think for themselves. This is just the beginning.
Will that be Grape or Strawberry Koolaid?-Nancy Peloci.
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Avatar universal
(I'm waiting for the speech where he says, "I didn't say that.  What I said was No matter what.......unless....  See, thats what I said.")
Helpful - 0
1310633 tn?1430224091
Obama:
"If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period. No one will take it away from you, no matter what."

Liar, liar, pants on fire.
Helpful - 0
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