Historic Law to Un-insure People, Then Insure Some of Them and Claim a Victory for Social Justice

The Wall Street Journal had a devastating report this weekend on how most, and perhaps the overwhelming majority, of people enrolled on the Obamacare exchanges were previously insured:

Early signals suggest the majority of the 2.2 million people who sought to enroll in private insurance through new marketplaces through Dec. 28 were previously covered elsewhere, raising questions about how swiftly this part of the health overhaul will be able to make a significant dent in the number of uninsured.

Insurers, brokers and consultants estimate at least two-thirds of those consumers previously bought their own coverage or were enrolled in employer-backed plans.

The estimate from a McKinsey survey of the percentage who were previously insured is much higher:

Only 11% of consumers who bought new coverage under the law were previously uninsured, according to a McKinsey & Co. survey of consumers thought to be eligible for the health-law marketplaces. The result is based on a sampling of 4,563 consumers performed between November and January, of whom 389 had enrolled in new insurance.

We had to upset the apple cart of American health insurance for this?