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President Obama told Americans that if they liked their health plan they could keep it. As millions of Americans discovered, that turned out to be wrong. And the victims may not be happy with the latest Obamacare twist: If you dislike the health plan the government wants you to have, you pretty much have to keep it.
As the Washington Post noted, Americans have discovered that their plan does not include their regular doctor, “or allow them to add new babies or spouses.” Adding new family members was one of the many parts of Obamacare that don’t work. Now the government claims that it “will temporarily allow consumers who have gotten coverage through the new online insurance marketplace to switch health plans to a limited degree.” But there’s a catch or two.
In a 14-page memo sent to insurers, not to the public, federal health bosses said “people may pick a different health plan before the end of March if they are dissatisfied with the one they chose, but only if they stay with the same insurer and generally the same level of coverage.” So you can get another substandard Obamacare plan you don’t like. It’s like a Soviet election. Pick any Communist Party candidate you want.
Federal health bosses also say people will be given more freedom and a longer opportunity to get a new health plan “if they can prove that HealthCare.gov, the Web site for the new marketplace, displayed inaccurate information about the benefits that a health plan offers.” So the burden of proof is on those dissatisfied with the plan the government wants them to have. But those people will have a hard time making their case.
As the Washington Post also revealed, the Obama administration “has not made public the fact that the appeals system for the online marketplace is not working.” In fact, there is no indication that infrastructure for appeals “has even been created, let alone become operational.” The infrastructure for it must compete with other parts of the federal exchange that still do not work, such as the payment system for insurers, communication with Medicaid, and adjusting coverage for new family members.
So if you actually have coverage through Obamacare, a dubious proposition, and don’t like that coverage, you are pretty much stuck with what the government wants you to have. Not to worry, because as presidential mouthpiece Jay Carney said, Obamacare allows Americans to pursue their dreams.