How’s that “if you like your health insurance you can keep your health insurance” thingie workin’ out for ya?

While I’ve been writing about this problem for some time, I was a bit taken aback to see it on the front page of today’s Sunday Detroit Free Press:

146,000 Michiganders – at least – face loss of cheap policies under new health care reform rules

At least 146,000 Michiganders — and possibly thousands more — with health coverage purchased directly from insurers now are learning their polices will end Dec. 31 because they don’t meet the minimum requirements of the federal health care act.

Under the law, each policy must cover essential benefits in 10 categories. Instead of beefing up these policies, insurers are opting to drop them, advising consumers to consider other policies that are now available either from the insurers directly or though the Michigan Health Insurance Marketplace, also known as the state exchange.

The policies that are ending were often less expensive on the individual market because they provided limited benefits and were sold to healthier consumers.
And that was fine with consumers such as Josh Mulder.

Mulder had landed a plan several years ago that cost his Wixom family offour just $291 a month. That policy will end Dec. 31, according to a letter from his insurer.

The policy didn’t cover things such as maternity care or prescription drugs, but, Mulder said, his family is generally healthy and he was willing to take the risk.

“I had a great rate,” he said.

I did too, and I am expecting to lose mine as well. For years I have paid moderate monthly premiums for a no-frills major medical type policy with catastrophic coverage. Routine office visits are not included, nor are any of the usual frills that are included with Cadillac type plans. But now, thanks to this insane 2000 page labyrinthine mess called a “law,” I stand to lose it. So I ranted — and ranted — on this blog. I tried to warn the rest of the clueless public, as if they could care less.

So imagine my amazement in seeing a shameless major water carrier for the Obama administration kvetching about the same thing.

As to what could be going on, I think that even the left is beginning to realize that lying and covering for Obamacare isn’t going to change the provisions, which are becoming inevitably operational whether anyone likes them or not.

Rarely have I seen a law that offended so many people so broadly across the political spectrum the way this one does.