Part II: The beginning of the end of Obamacare - Obama Apologizes for Insurance Cancellations - President's Comments Mark Departure From 'Keep Your Plan' Pledge (White House officials said the president was mainly referring to potential administrative fixes, rather than new legislation)

On 10-10-2013 I had a post entitled "The beginning of the end of Obamacare (hospitals will jump on next): Medical-Device Tax Repeal Gains New Life - White House Signals Levy Could Be Dropped if GOP Offers Way to Offset $30 Billion It Is Raising."

That was Part I.  This is Part II.

From The Wall Street Journal:

 

President Barack Obama said Thursday he was sorry that thousands of Americans were losing their health insurance, expressing regret for the first time that the Affordable Care Act hadn't lived up to his promise that people who liked their coverage could keep it.

Mr. Obama said he had intended to make good on his pledge but the administration wasn't as clear as it should have been in describing the changes the new health law would bring. Now, facing a chorus of complaints as many people receive notice that their plans have been canceled, Mr. Obama signaled he was open to some kind of relief, although he didn't give specifics.

"I am sorry that they...are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me," Mr. Obama told NBC News in an interview. "We've got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them and that we are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this."

The president's comments marked a departure from his previous defense of the law and his oft-repeated vow that "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan." Before Thursday, he had stood by his words, while adding some caveats. He had argued that the small percentage of people forced to buy new coverage would find more comprehensive plans in the new marketplace.

 

About 15.4 million people—about 5% of the population—are covered by individual health plans. Industry experts have said many of them will see their policies terminated by the end of the year as insurers switch to plans that comply with the health law.

 

Mr. Obama repeated Thursday that only a small percentage of Americans were seeing their plans canceled, but he acknowledged it was "scary" for those people and conceded the law was responsible for their situation. "Obviously, we didn't do a good enough job in terms of how we crafted the law," he said. "That's something that we're going to do everything we can to get fixed."

 

Mr. Obama declined to spell out details but said the administration is considering a range of options. White House officials said the president was mainly referring to potential administrative fixes, rather than new legislation, to help those whose policies have been canceled and now face higher premiums.