Distancing itself from President Obama’s oft repeated assurance that “if you like your plan you can keep it,” the Obama administration is now executing a strategic retreat from this promise. With David Axelrod having said that “most people” will be able to keep their insurance and press secretary Jay Carney admitting that “there are existing health care plans that [. . .] do not qualify for the Affordable Care Act,” the White House again limited its claims in a response to an online petition demanding that those who like their plans be able to opt out of Obamacare and keep their insurance.
The petition, which says that “We The People should be allowed to keep our current health care plan plans — just as certain other groups have been allowed to keep theirs,” has garnered over 41,000 signatures (the petition needed only 25,000 signatures to draw an official response).
The White House responded that “if you currently have private health insurance, you should be able to keep it” and that “the idea that individuals who like their insurance should keep it is a central part of the law.”
“Should,” though, is a far cry from “can” as hundreds of thousands have already lost their private insurance because of Obamacare and some sources estimate that millions more will be pushed off their current insurance plans.
Echoing a favorite formulation of Obama’s, the official response ends by saying, “To be clear – there is no provision for groups to ‘opt out’ of the health care law.” So if the law forces you off your health-insurance plan, rest assured, and let it be clear: Obamacare will not let you get your plan back.