As Obamacare was being pushed through Congress in 2010, the Obama
administration and its allies were unequivocal in two claims: If you
like your doctor and you like your current health care plan, you can
keep them both.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sibelius and then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi backed the president fully in this regard. The White House even went so far as
to post a "Health Insurance Reform Reality Check" on its website, where
"Linda Douglass of the White House Office of Health Reform debunks the
myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or
force you to change doctors." President Obama upped the ante, putting
the promise in the form of a "guarantee":
THE PRESIDENT: Here is a guarantee that I've made. If
you have insurance that you like, then you will be able to keep that
insurance. If you've got a doctor that you like, you will be able to
keep your doctor. Nobody is trying to change what works in the system. We are trying to change what doesn't work in the system.
While there has been sniping back and forth between the administration
and its detractors about the real-world application and implementation
of Obamacare, the new Healthcare.gov website has taken some of the
mystery out of the controversy. And President Obama and his
administration do not fare well in this latest "reality check." Among the questions that HHS recently added to the website: "Can I keep my own doctor?":
Now that Health and Human Services has confirmed that the suspicions of Obamacare opponents were justified, the Obama administration will have some explaining to do to friends and foes of the law alike. Because now everyone is finding out "what's in it."
The Weekly Standard
