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In reversal, Obama to allow health plans set to be canceled

Friday, November 15, 2013

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

His personal and political credibility on the line, President Barack Obama reversed course Thursday and said millions of Americans should be allowed to renew individual-coverage plans now ticketed for cancellation under the health care law that is likely to be at the heart of the 2014 elections.

The immediate impact on consumers was unclear, though both industry spokesmen and state insurance commissioners swiftly warned that higher prices could result from the president’s rapid turnaround.

Under pressure from consumers as well as congressional Democrats, Obama said the administration no longer would require insurance companies to jettison current individual and small-group plans that fall short of the minimum coverage standards under the law, effectively shifting responsibility for cancellations to the industry itself. The change would be good for just one year, though senior administration officials said it could be extended if problems persist.

Speaking of the millions of people whose coverage is being scrapped, Obama said, “What we want to do is to be able to say to these folks, you know what, the Affordable Care Act is not going to be the reason why insurers have to cancel your plan.”

Obama spoke at a news conference where he repeatedly took responsibility for the woeful rollout of the health care program known by his name. Officials disclosed Wednesday that fewer than 27,000 enrollments were completed in 36 states in the first month of operations for www.healthcare.gov.

Including enrollment of more than 79,000 in the 14 states with their own websites, the nationwide number was 106,000 for October sign-ups. But that is still far fewer than expected and a mere fraction of the cancellation notices that have gone out because of the law — more than 4 million, according to an Associated Press survey.

Obama’s approval ratings in polls also are ebbing, and he readily conceded that after recent events, the public can legitimately “expect me to have to win back some credibility on this health care law in particular and on a whole range of these issues in general.”

The president also sought to shelter from political fallout any congressional Democrats who echoed the promise he repeated often when the legislation was under consideration in Congress — that anyone who liked his or her coverage would be able to keep it. “They were entirely sincere about it,” he said of the lawmakers. “It’s not on them, it’s on us.”

Shortly after Obama spoke, the major industry trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, warned in a statement that prices might rise as a result of his new policy. “Changing the rules after health plans have already met the requirements of the law could destabilize the market and result in higher premiums for consumers,” it said.

A few hours later, the head of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners added a fresh word of caution. Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, president of the group, said Obama’s proposal could lead to higher premiums and market disruptions next year and beyond.

“In addition, it is unclear how, as a practical matter, the changes proposed today by the president can be put into effect. In many states, cancellation notices have already gone out to policyholders and rates and plans have already been approved for 2014,” he added.

Nor was it clear how different states would react to the administration request to change the rules.

In California, where more than 900,000 cancellations have been sent out, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones called on insurers to extend the policies being scrapped.

But in Washington, his counterpart, Mike Kreidler, said he won’t allow that to happen. “I have serious concerns about how President Obama’s proposal would be implemented and more significantly, its potential impact on the overall stability of our health insurance market,” he said in a statement.

Until the president made his announcement, the administration had been assuming that individuals currently covered by plans marked for cancellation would switch to alternatives offered in government-established exchanges. If so, they would be joining millions of others who have lacked insurance in the past.