I just found out today that my insurance plan (also covers my whole family) will be cancelled effective 4/1/14. The reason is unimportant, the point is that this apparently is required by the Affordable Health Care Act. (P.S., it costs $1,900 per month, so it's not one of those cheapo deals). Now, I live in Oregon, where we have the spectacular failure called "Cover Oregon", which in a blue state with a governor who's an M.D. has staged the insurance equivalent of the Titanic, the Hindenburg and New Coke all rolled into one. I don't often agree with National Review, but their observations here are dead on:
Democratic governor John Kitzhaber, himself a physician, admits he was “entirely outside the loop” on development of the $160 million website. He’s earned widespread ridicule for his lax management as he prepares to run for reelection. The Oregonain reports that some of his officials actively tried to squelch internal critics who warned the website was doomed: “The Oregon Health Authority last January withheld payment from the company hired to monitor the project, claiming its persistent criticism was inaccurate and inflammatory.” Just two months later, in March 2013, Rocky King, Cover Oregon’s executive director told the Oregonian he was constantly being asked by legislators “will it work?” His stock answer: “I haven’t the foggiest idea.” King has admitted he had very little experience in IT, so he was no doubt being truthful.
Now, fortunately I have a plan B in this case, which consists of tweaking my way through the problem that appears to be causing my insurance to be cancelled. Meanwhile, my application to Cover Oregon, sent via fax, is still pending some 2 months after it was sent. It's a race, I guess, between my ability to fix the problem that seems to be producing my pending cancellation of insurance, and the (apparent) inability of Cover Oregon to match me up with some insurer who wants to sell me insurance.
But take heed, Democrats. Mrs. Peril, who has been a Democrat all her life, is pissed. And I am too, although I've only been a Democrat for 20 years or so. It's very upsetting to find that your family will become uninsured in less than 60 days, and that you must do something, anything, I guess, to get yourself into a new insurance plan. When you combine this with a threat from the government to fine you 1%, later rising to 2% of your annual income if you don't get on a plan, it is absurd.
Finally, let me state, I don't appreciate being lied to, Mr. Obama.
If you like your plan, you can keep it.
Bullshit.
UPDATE: I have done some checking and it seems the problem is that my insurance carrier has now decided that it needs to become a "multi-employer" plan. And they interpret "multi-employer" to mean that everyone in the plan must have at least one other W-2 employee besides the plan member. And apparently the ACA requires them to give the heave-ho to everyone who doesn't.