First on CNN: Obama to push fix for insurance cancellations
[Breaking news update 11:55 a.m. ET]
Sources close to the insurance industry tell CNN's Gloria Borger that it looks like insurance companies will cooperate with President Barack Obama's proposed solution to the problem of health care plan cancellations due to Obamacare.
[Original story posted 11:03 a.m. ET]
(CNN) – President Barack Obama will lay out an administrative solution to address the problem of people getting cancellation notices from their health insurance providers due to the Affordable Care Act, a senior Democratic source familiar with the plan tells CNN's Chief Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash.
Obama will deliver remarks at 11:35 a.m. ET in the White House Press Briefing Room, the White House announced Thursday morning.
The plan will in part call for insurance policies to be renewed for one year for those who already have insurance policies in the individual market, the source said.
If an insurance company does renew a substandard plan, it would be required to do two things. First, it would have to notify the policy holder of alternative coverage options. Second, the company would have to disclose all of the benefits a policy holder will lose if she keeps an existing substandard plan.
The source noted the President may disclose additional details.
White House says Obamacare site improving, enrollment off sharply
In addition, the source said the President would allow state insurance commissioners to decide on their own to not permit this renewal.
It's worth noting, however, that there are some states - including Virginia, Kentucky and Idaho - that require all plans in their state to comply with Affordable Care Act standards.
White House officials get earful from Democrats on Obamacare
Even though the President is about to announce the fix, House Democrats are planning to unveil their own legislative proposal that will be offered as an alternative during a procedural vote on the House GOP bill tomorrow, according to two senior House Democratic aides.
“It's back up,” one of these aides told CNN. “We want to have suspenders and a belt.”
This will allow members of Congress to be on the record voting for a solution.
Poll: Obama approval ratings drop, Americans say he's not trustworthy
When selling Obamacare, the President repeatedly assured Americans they would be able to keep their plans if they liked them. However, many Americans have been getting dropped from their providers because their existing policies don't work with the new regulations.
Obama has since apologized for people losing their coverage and pledged to find a solution.
Many in Congress avoiding health care exchanges
– CNN’s Deirdre Walsh and Mark Preston contributed to this report.
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The only thing missing with Obamacare, is the calling of its Time of Death. It's inevitable, and it will be the democrats that push for it, to save their political careers. Obamacare is the kiss of death for democrats in office.
Hey, when did the US become a dictatorship? How does one man make "administrative" changes to a law voted on, signed, and enacted? Hey Dems, it is your law. LIVE WITH IT or REPEAL IT!
Clearly to anyone with any intelligence President Obama isn't the "savior" that so many on the left believed. At the same time, he isn't the "devil" that those on the right try to imply. He is simply a man who is attempting to do a job he was elected to do, the way he thinks it needs to be done. That doesn't mean he is doing a good job though. I hope people will learn to stop being sucked in by a charismatic speaker, because in the end, that is all he is. His term cannot end soon enough, along with many others in our government.
That's not a fix, it's a stay of execution until after the 2014 elections. Of course, the compliant media and low intelligence voters will claim it's a wonderful solution.
LOL
"We lied and to make up for it were going to give you a 1 year extension"...BAHAHAHHAHA
I think a "Grand Fathering in" clause would have done wonders to avoid this problem. Mandating change is often a way to invent all new problems.
But that's a little too late, and is rear-view wisdom, so I have to give the President credit for stepping up to the plate to deal with the headache at all.
Does it not take a vote from congress to change or alter a law? Pretty sure issuing an extension changes the law. Thinking Insurance Company lawyers are sitting at the door steps of the Supreme Court on this one. I don't think he can force / mandate them to offer the extension in a free market. He must start fining and taxing the millions who have been screwed by this horrible act.
This is your legacy Obama. This and all the other promises like more government transparency and holding Wall Street accountable for their actions you conveniently forgot about.
I hope you're happy you bold-faced liar. The republicans are only upset because they wanted to do these things themselves.
I see the trolls are up and at it this morning. Why aren't moderators addressing the post after post after post after post of Obamahater stuff. Do they really think this is discussion rather than garbage? If you're gonna offer a discussion forum, it's your job to police it so ACTUAL discussion is happening.
Awesome! So we now lose our insurance policy AND will have no insurance. No way the insurance company is going to reinstate my old policy with the old rates. I cannot afford the new rates I was quoted. Just wonderful Obama! I am so sorry I voted for you I feel like a tool!
Hillary was right in the 2008 campaign when she said "you don't want Obama answering the 3am phone call". You really don't want him answering the 3PM phone call either. Governing by sticking his finger in the air. Changing his mind only after the American people stick THEIR finger in the air....
Does Obama think past the end of his arm? the only way insurance companies were able to offset the costs of Obamacare was to cancel the old policies and ensure everyone PAID for the items required such as contraceptives whether they need them or not.
Does nothing for making us more competitive in a world market.
The ACA is turning into the "All Clowns Act" instead of the "Affordable Care Act". You can keep your insurance for just one more year and then the next election cycle will be over!
The President just needs to leave this alone. Making changes makes it worse. If people would just have patience the ACA would work as is. The current generation has no sense of vision.
What a mess!
Praise the Lord, Obama has saved us again!!!!!
Give me a break...the worst President in history, the Liar in Chief, should be impeached post haste for his corruption, failure to represent the majority of Americans and misuse of office. IMPEACH OBAMA
Would like CNN to give examples of what type of coverage is offered in these plans and monthly costs. Then I would know why people want to keep them.
What's the point of a law, where the executive branch has the discretion to hand out waivers or "will not prosecute" promises or exceptions? It's a bill of attainder in reverse.
So, in order to meet the standards for Obamacare, a plan must have the following:
Ambulatory patient services
Emergency services
Hospitalization
Maternity and newborn care
Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment
Prescription drugs
Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
Laboratory services
Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
Pediatric services, including oral and vision care
That seems excessive to me. No one is going to go bankrupt because they don't have vision care or preventive and wellness services. Similarly maternity, mental health, and substance use and disorder services don't seem like they belong in the minimum standard for health insurance.
Just think.
If real healthcare was implemented here 30 years ago, all of these stumbling blocks would be distant memories.
LOL a one year delay? That would take us to 11/14/2014? What happens between then and now? MIDTERM ELECTION DAY ON 11/4/14
This is simply a delay in order to get his buddies through the midterm elections. I highly doubt the lost plans are recoverable. If they are I can still imagine a bureaucratic nightmare both in the government and the insurance companies. It still doesn't change the fact that they lose their plans eventually anyway, which is the half of the argument. It's not just about losing their plans now vs 1 year from now, it's the fact they are losing them at all.
.
So I guess it means he will tell the insurance companies what to do now?
Does nothing for making us more competitive in a world market. Not getting us where we need to be. They listened to the wrong people.
How many 'junk policy' holders will keep the limited healthcare policy when they find out how little healthcare it actually covers. My guess is that once people do a little research of their 'junk policy', they'll realize that the insurance industry may have mislead them into believing that they had actual healthcare.