Republicans have criticized President Barack Obama for not keeping his promise that people could keep their current health insurance plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a report from The Hill.
Many insurers are sending out cancellation letters to people enrolled in health plans that don't meet requirements for basic levels of coverage under the healthcare reform law. Under the reform law, individual health plans must cover "essential benefits" such as prescription drugs, mental health services and maternity care. Insurers must also cap consumers' annual expenses.
Various insurers are dropping plans that cover sizeable chunks of their individual markets. Florida Blue is ending about 300,000 policies, 80 percent of its individual policies in the state. Kaiser Permanente in
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said Tuesday the issue is "really, really troubling" for Americans, according to the report.
White House officials have argued the people whose plans are being cancelled represent only a small subset of consumers, and they can purchase better plans through the health insurance exchanges, according to the report. Although the new plans might cost more than previous coverage, the higher premiums will be offset by subsidies available to many people purchasing plans through the exchanges, according to the White House.
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