By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
NBC News has revealed that when President Obama assured Americans that have health insurance they like they could keep their health insurance the administration knew (like everyone with any understanding of how insurance works knew) that that was untrue. Alabama Republicans were quick to join the chorus of conservative voices expressing outrage at the revelations.
Congresswoman Martha Roby (R) from Montgomery said in a video statement,
“Remember when President Obama said over and over again that ‘if you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your healthcare plan’? Well, it turns out that wasn’t true, as thousands of Alabamians and millions across America are facing health insurance cancellations or skyrocketing costs.”
Alabama State Senator Paul Bussman (R) from Cullman said on Facebook,
“The truth starts to finally be exposed by the mainstream media….I am truly concerned that Obamacare and the lack of honesty in government will destroy this country. The ‘Greatest Generation’ and veterans, who made this country the greatest country in the world, must be totally disgusted. Lying, underhanded deals, lack of personal responsibility, too many damaging handouts and programs that encourage laziness, etc. etc. SAD days in America! I pray daily for God’s intervention.”
The Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives Mike Hubbard (R) from Auburn said on Facebook,
“The Obama Administration finally told the truth about Obamacare today. After four years of reassuring us that if we liked our health insurance policy, we would be able to keep it, the White House acknowledged that is not true. This is one reason why I have called on Washington to grant every American amnesty from this law.”
Speaker Hubbard is circulating a petition opposing Obamacare Act.
Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead wrote,
“The federal government refuses to release actual enrollment figures, presumably in attempts to mask the true level of failure of this political disaster. Every day, more and more Americans are finding out that their health care premiums are doubling and even tripling. The premium rises are impossible to afford. Even worse, people are receiving letters notifying them that their health care coverage is being dropped and now must find coverage through the exchange.”
Rep. Roby said,
“President Obama broke his promise, and hardworking Americans who took the president at his word are paying the price. That’s why this week I am co-sponsoring legislation that would make this right by protecting Americans who are losing their health plans because of ObamaCare. The ‘Keep Your Health Plan Act’ would allow health care plans available today on the individual market to continue to be offered so people have the option to keep what they have if they like it. The bill also ensures that Americans maintaining their health care plan as they were promised they could will not face a penalty under ObamaCare.”
The “Keep Your Health Plan Act,” was authored by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). It promises that individual policy holders who like their healthcare are truly allowed to keep it as the President originally promised.
This current firestorm around the unpopular Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly called Obamacare) was started when NBC News’s Lisa Myers and Hannah Rappleye wrote a piece in which they said,
“President Obama repeatedly assured Americans that after the Affordable Care Act became law, people who liked their health insurance would be able to keep it. But millions of Americans are getting or are about to get cancellation letters for their health insurance under Obamacare, say experts, and the Obama administration has known that for at least three years.”
Policies that were written before the Affordable Care Act was passed were grandfathered in. Policies written between that date and December 31st were to expire and the insured would then convert to an Affordable Care Act compliant policy. The grandfather exception for the older policies is essentially worthless because insurers can not sell those policies any more.
Insurance is fairly simple: A large number of people purchase policies in case something (that is likely not to happen) happens. It takes a lot of people paying premiums and not using much healthcare to pay for one person who needs $1 million worth of quadruple heart bypass surgery. Those old grandfathered-in policies can’t add new healthy people to their pool so as people in the pool age and need more healthcare. So over time that old grandfathered in pool inevitably becomes too unhealthy to remain viable for the insurance compnay so those policies inevitably go away.
Speaker Mike Hubbard said,
“The President said there is ‘no sugarcoating’ the horrible start to Obamacare. I’m glad we could finally agree on something. The cure, though, is not to fix what the President called ‘kinks,’ but to repeal this law immediately before it causes any more damage.”
