CNN source: If White House has no solution by Friday, Dems may vote for “Keep Your Plan Act”

Hotair ^ | 11/12/2013 | AllahPundit

[SeekAndFind]

Amazing stuff via Mediaite. The “Keep Your Plan Act” is Fred Upton’s bill, which Jay Carney spent a few minutes attacking at today’s press briefing because it would make canceled plans available to all consumers, not just the ones who’d been enrolled in those plans before. That would be a disaster for the insurance industry. Healthy people would flee the new, more expensive plans for the resurrected cheaper ones, leaving no one in the new risk pool except sick people with very expensive treatments. That means either heavy losses for insurers, steep premium hikes next year to make up the difference, or some sort of federal bailout (congrats, red-state Democrats!) — or maybe a little of all three. You’ll have the same problem, though, albeit to a lesser extent, even if Upton’s bill is amended so that it applies only to people who’d been enrolled in a particular plan before it was cancelled. You can’t run a two-tiered healthy/sick insurance system. If the risk pools aren’t merged, replete with higher rates for the former, you can’t pay for the latter.

I understand why the GOP would back Upton’s bill. It’s a slam dunk politically, grinding Obama’s face in the consequences of his lie. This is the Democrats’ mess; Reid and the Senate can/will kill the bill if they like. I can’t understand why House Democrats, aware of the adverse selection problem that’s lurking here — and the political humiliation for the White House — would sign on, unless they’ve already reached a point of such pure terror over the “if you like your plan” backlash that they’re willing to kneecap ObamaCare six weeks out of the gate. Did they … not understand that millions of people were going to face cancellations and higher premiums under the law’s redistributive scheme? Of course they did. Steny Hoyer, number two in the Democratic caucus admitted it on October 29th. Fast forward two weeks and here’s where Hoyer is now:

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do on the Upton bill,” the Maryland Democrat said at a Tuesday briefing with reporters when discussing legislation sponsored by Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich.

Hoyer noted that he was “inclined not to be for the Upton bill at this time,” but he emphasized that he was “not closed to the option,” and would “reserve judgment” until he had seen the legislative text, which is reportedly undergoing some tweaks.

“I agree that people who purchased their policies prior to [the law's enactment date] ought to be able to keep their policies,” he said.

If he agrees that they should be able to keep their policies, why did he vote for ObamaCare? The whole point of the law is that healthy middle-class people shouldn’t be allowed to keep policies that have relatively low premiums. We need to gouge those suckers with higher premiums for new “comprehensive” plans so that we can pay for the preexisting conditions of the sick. It’s like voting for immigration reform and then feigning surprise in five years when the newly “secure” border hasn’t halted illegal immigration. It’s not supposed to do that. That’s something you tell the hoi polloi in order to give Congress enough cover to vote for it.

The vote on Upton’s bill is set for Friday, which, per CNN’s source on the Hill, means the White House has 48 hours or so to come up with its own proposal for letting people keep their plans — adverse selection problem or not — before Democrats head for the lifeboats. Greg Sargent claims that the Democratic leadership is now warning the rank and file that rich liberal donors won’t look kindly at them if they abandon The One on his big “accomplishment.” I’ll leave you with this, just to show that the fear isn’t limited to Dems in red states. After a million cancellations, even DiFi’s nervous:

Feinstein: "I have decided to cosponsor Senator Mary Landrieu’s (D-La.) legislation: Keeping the Affordable Care Act Promise Act."

CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO

[JSDude1]

REPUBLICANS NEED TO OPPOSE THIS UNLESS THERE IS AN ATTACHMENT WIHT FULL R E P E A L! !!!

[Ezekiel]

The vote on Upton’s bill is set for Friday, which, per CNN’s source on the Hill, means the White House has 48 hours or so to come up with its own proposal for letting people keep their plans — adverse selection problem or not — before Democrats head for the lifeboats.

Countdown to Friday mayhem ping.

[editor-surveyor]

In 1952 one of my classmates’ mother had her leg amputated for cancer, and the bill came to an astounding $400.

[eyedigress]

That is a months pay or better. I hope she lived well.

[Graybeard58]

I don’t know what’s in the bill but I know at this point that is not possible.

Congress has to pass it first.....then find out what's in it. Have you forgotten that already?

[DManA]

Also, it’s not a law until the executive bureaucrats write the regulations. They are the real (unelected) legislature.

[editor-surveyor]

Her husband was the youngest captain on the Oakland PD.

She was an absolute fox! (I was almost 8 years old)

[Baynative]

Just the fact that there is a discussion about this bill shows that there was not the need democrats said when it came to creating this law tax in the first place.

[eyedigress]

I had a serious crush on my 2nd grade teacher. I promised to never release the videos.

:^)

[catnipman]

The Rats are hoping they can unspill the spilt milk. Ain’t gonna happen. For one thing they got only 6 weeks before millions find themselves without health insurance. Ain’t enough time to fix ANYTHING before then. And besides those polices are kaput, and no amount of legislation can make them come back any more than legislation can undo the damage wrought by a Cat 5 tornado.

[funfan]

The plans don’t exist anymore so how can they get them back?

Just another lie to trick the people.

[funfan]

You are too generous I wish for their untimely demise.

[sickoflibs]

This is called the (Obamacare) death spiral.
Dems are in a panic.

Obama is probably counting on this dying in House.

[Teacher317]

So... we’ve been paying for this fiasco for 3 years now, to help it get on its feet... if it is repealed, where did the money go?

[eyedigress]

That is the point. People need to understand law.

These policies are illegal. Obama just stepped into a pile of law that even he can’t clean off. Even if he dumped it himself.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “ I promised to never release the videos.” <<

.
I-Phone?

[JimSEA]

Obama will have to veto it. It would speed the collapse of Obamacare. The folks whose plans were cancelled have to pay exorbitant new premiums.

[riri]

No one seems to be asking this question.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “where did the money go?” <<

.
To the sterling individuals that funded Obummah’s election.

[plain talk]

because it would make canceled plans available to all consumers, not just the ones who’d been enrolled in those plans before. That would be a disaster for the insurance industry.

I can see why the WH would attack it from a political standpoint. But even if it goes forward I can see how they end up winning in the long run. WH and dems will pass legislation restricting rates and basically make it so insurance companies fold. If enough damage ensues to insurance companies that paves the way for the dems to come to the rescue with single payer which is what they want anyway. They want insurance companies to fail.

Haven't said that I think the political reality in short term though is they prefer to have their "plan" preserved so they are not seen as backtracking. Now that they control this industry they can always find a way to screw insurance companies later and move to single payer. either way they win. The RINOs cant do much except pass this bill (with dem support) which does help some people now. The little people are grateful for any crumbs the RINOs can throw them.