Last night at about 6:30 I opined on how long it would take the administration to deflect blame on the policy cancellations from Barack Obama to the insurance companies.
The White House has struggled to defend President Obama’s 2009 claim as thousands of people receive notifications that their insurance companies are dropping their plans.
“Is he keeping his promise?” Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) asked Sebelius.
“Yes he is,” the Health and Human Services secretary responded.
She repeated the administration’s argument that, if people are losing their plans, it is because of insurance companies and not the new healthcare law.
“If a person had a policy in place in March 2010, liked that plan, and the insurance company made no changes to disadvantage the consumer, those policies are in place, you keep your plan if you like it, and that goes on,” Sebelius told the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
“People though who had a medically underwritten policy, were paying more than their neighbor because they happen to be female … they will have a new day in a very competitive market,” she added.
Many insurers have stopped offering plans that do not comply with regulations issued by the Health and Human Services Department outlining basic levels of coverage. Consumers who have received such notices are often left with more expensive options.
These people simply lied. It’s not like the traditional campaign speech promising no school on Fridays and a pretty girl for every boy. They knew that people, by the millions, would lose their coverage and they kept saying that they wouldn’t.
The next sound bite?
“Yes, you DID lose your plan, however, it will be replaced by one that is better.”
