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Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: ‘You Can Keep Your Health Plan,’ But Once You Change it, the Government is Your Only Option

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 10th, 2009 at 07:00 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

House Resolution 3200, the “Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009,” fulfills President Barack Obama’s promise that “If you like your health plan, you can keep it” – technically.

Under the Democrat-sponsored bill, existing insurance policies are “grandfathered” into the new, overhauled national health care system, meaning that you have the option to keep your health coverage plan and provider even if they don’t conform to the new standards set by the federal government.

However, beginning the year this bill takes effect, individuals who leave their current insurer for any reason – whether it be moving to a different state or changing to a different employer – will be forced to purchase a new government-approved private plan or to enroll in the government-run, taxpayer-funded “public option” for their health coverage, rather than being allowed to choose coverage similar to that which they had before the advent of Obamacare.

Update: Source: HR 3200, § 102

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  • redneck_hippie
  • Next93

    As I understand it, employers have the “choice” of elmiinating thier health insurance and paying a fine that’s actually lower than most employer portions of most current health care plans. Which,of course, means that employer provided health care will probably go the way of the passenger pigeon. At that point, even if YOU didn’t change plans, are you made a permanent benficiary of government lagresse?

    • http://jeffemanuel.net Jeff Emanuel

      …in a future Fact of the Day :-)

  • MikeInOhio

    Just like, if I push you out a window, and you die, I did not kill you. I can not be held responsible for the action of gravity.

  • nsander1

    Section 102.a of HR 3200 only forbids new “Individual Health Plans” to be sold outside of the Health Insurance Exchange, not new group plans. This is bad enough as it is.

    • http://jeffemanuel.net Jeff Emanuel

      It’s about indiv plans

  • RedWhite_and_Truth

    Sometimes I hate this era. The doublespeak word “option” in the freaking title. TAKE THE WORD OUT, Dimocrats. You know that there is no intention to give any one of us serbs any “option.”

  • Amy J.

    I have a copy of the health care bill on my computer and I’ve been trying to read a little bit every day. While what this article says is partially true it’s not entirely true. According to the copy of the bill I have, you can only “keep” your insurance for 5 years. After the 5 year “grace” period, all plans have to meet the requirements determined by the federal government. So even if you like the insurance you have now, after that 5 year grace period, it will have to change or you won’t be able to keep it. And once it changes, it may not be the health care plan you wanted to keep. (See page 17, Section 202)

    • http://jeffemanuel.net Jeff Emanuel

      HR 3200?

      • Amy J.

        Yes, Sir. What I have noticed is that reading this bill is VERY hard. Often you have to scroll back 10 pages or forward 10 pages because they just refer to “section ???” if you know what I mean. They don’t make these bills so that normal people can read them, that’s for sure.

  • IlliniJon

    Jeff, when you post these, can you provide link or at least numbers of the specific sections of the bill that deal with whatever your facts are? That would be helpful ammunition.

    Thanks!

    - Jon

  • Ausonius

    A salient quote from the Detroit Free Press website:

    “Dingell told the crowd — many of whom wouldn’t believe it — that the bill won’t pay for abortions.

    “The government wants to control my body, my health care decisions and the doctors I see,” said Christine Wofford, 56, of Canton, who distributed literature from the Liberty Council, a Lynchburg, Va., religious civil rights law firm.”

    Also:

    “Earlier in the day, several hundred people gathered outside the Troy office of U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Hills, to protest abortion, socialism and Obama’s health care proposal. They criticized Peters’ unwillingness to hold a town hall.

    “He believes that speaking with constituents one-on-one is the most useful way to meet with constituents,” said Cullen Schwarz, Peters’ spokesman. “The last one was supposed to last only 90 minutes and he stayed for three hours and 45 minutes so he could talk to everyone who showed up.”

    John Rhen, 68, of Troy wasn’t buying it.

    “They’re going to take over everything. It’s socialism,” he said. “I don’t want some bureaucrat making health decisions for me and my family.”

    About 20 people who support the health care reform plan mingled with the protesters trying to get their point across as well.”

    See:

    http://www.freep.com/article/20090807/NEWS06/908070387/Tempers-flare-over-health-care

    • Next93

      My take is that they’re terrified that people will find out what’s in it, that’s why it “had” to be passed before the recess.

      Have you read Madame Pelosi and Toady Hoyer’s piece in USA Today (also known as McNews)? They honest-to-God have the unmitigated gall to complain that people being assertive at the townhalls are “derailing the democratic process”!

      Sorry, folks – you lost the right to accuse anyone of that when you tried to rush this crap sandwich through congress before the people got a chance to see what’s in it.

  • http://impudent.blognation.us/blog kyle8

    And it’s really worse than that, since the cost that is levied on businesses who dump their plans (pay or pay) is a paltry sum, then, it can be assumed that most business will dump their plans and push you onto Obamacare.

    BUT WAIT! It gets better, since unionized businesses who have work contracts cannot just dump their coverages, they will be at an even bigger cost disadvantage to other labor.

    So the idiot unions are once again cutting their own throats.

    • Next93

      I’m sure the union morons figure that the Democrats government will bail out any unionized companies that go under.

    • redneck_hippie

      that the unions would be exempted from having to change their coverage. What I heard is the unions had no skin in the game, so they necessarily were merely breaking kneecaps as a security service to The One. Anyone find anything about this in the bill?