The "Keep Your Health Plan" Kerfuffle

I've stayed out of this media brouhaha so far because it's been simply maddening.  So let me just summarize by saying:

1. Whether it was poorly phrased or contextually nuanced or an out and out lie (fill in your preference), Obama deserves all the political heat you care to give him for the "If you like your health plan, you can keep it" thing. 

Of course, I've never known any other law (or war) that was rolled back or gutted because one particular promise about it turned out to be even the baldest-faced lie. But that's politics (and media headlines) these days, right?

2. The biggest problems for the (fraction of the population) facing their old plans being cancelled by insurance carriers are:

– They were crap plans (high deductables, low maximum payout caps, significant gaps in what was covered) that were often barely better than no coverage at all in case they actually needed to be used.

– Or they were plans that were not economically viable for companies to continue if they had no chance to jack up rates at will or (better yet) cancel as soon as as they  had to start paying out on them. [See the article below.]

– And the insurance companies have done little except play the innocent victim card ("We don't want to cancel your minimalistic coverage, but the mean government is leaving us no choice!"), and then offer higher cost policies that they like as alternatives, with nary a mention (in the case of individuals buying their own insurance) of the competitive exchanges or the possibility of tax subsidies to assist.

Flog Sebelius around the public square for how the federal Healthcare.gov site roll-out worked. Rhetorically pelt Obama with rotten fruit for his mis-promise. But neither of those take anything away from what the ACA is, can, and will do to provide reliable, rational health care coverage for Americans.  Unless, of course, the Dems cave (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-big-gut-check).

(h/t Mary)