NBC News puts the best spin on it they can, but there is no way to hide the fact that hundreds of thousands, likely millions, are now victims of President Obama’s broken promise that, “If you like your health insurance, you can keep it.” One insurance provider in just one state (Florida) sent out cancellation notices to 300,000 customers.
What this means is that a huge percentage of the 14 million who purchase their health insurance on their own have lost health insurance they were happy with. Now they will be forced onto exchanges that don’t work to purchase insurance that is almost guaranteed to be more expensive. Worse still, their new plan might not allow them to keep their doctor.
If you are wondering why ObamaCare is resulting in people being booted off their health insurance plans, the answer is that ObamaCare mandates the kind of coverage you are now required to purchase. This includes coverage for mental health and substance abuse, maternity care, dental and vision care — coverage millions neither need nor want. So if you current plan doesn’t meet these ObamaCare basics, it is being canceled and your new plan will mandate you pay for this coverage.
The irony of all this is that, by the end of next year, the number of uninsured in America could increase under ObamaCare. Out of frustration, anger, and a host of other reasons, those being thrown off their health insurance plans might decide to go without rather than sign up through ObamaCare.
For all its problems, and there were many, the American free market did a very good job providing health care and insurance. Poll after poll showed that 70-plus percent were happy with their health insurance. It took the federal government to explode what was imperfect but working pretty well.
What I’d like to see is a private insurer come up with a catastrophic plan that doesn’t meet the ObamaCare guidelines, but will cover those who refuse to enroll in ObamaCare. Between the ObamaCare fine and the price of this catastrophic policy, it might still be cheaper than signing up for ObamaCare.
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