According to NBC News’ investigative reporting division (which exists, first of all…), one of Barack Obama’s favorite tag lines about the Affordable Care Act was a lie. Namely, that individuals who bought insurance on their own–and actually liked that insurance–wouldn’t lose it when the ACA went into effect.
Apparently, people are losing their insurance, as healthcare providers send letters across the country notifying customers that their plans do not live up to the legal standards established by the ACA, and will therefore be ending within a few months. To quote the report:
Four sources deeply involved in the Affordable Care Act tell NBC News that 50 to 75 percent of the 14 million consumers who buy their insurance individually can expect to receive a “cancellation” letter or the equivalent over the next year because their existing policies don’t meet the standards mandated by the new health care law. One expert predicts that number could reach as high as 80 percent.≈
Here’s the controversy: we knew that all of these plans didn’t live up to the law’s standards. That’s why the president promised policy-holders that their plans would be exempt from his new, tougher standards. Apparently, he also knew all along that the Department of Health and Human Services would ignore this campaign pledge. If true, this is a huge story about a major lie from the administration.
Photo credit: The White House
