On Thursday night, President Obama gave a speech to a joint session of Congress outlining his new program to stimulate the economy. There was only one small reference to ObamaCare, but it was packed with misinformation.
“But what we can’t do — what I will not do — is let this economic crisis be used as an excuse to wipe out the basic protections that Americans have counted on for decades. (Applause.) I reject the idea that we need to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. I reject the argument that says for the economy to grow, we have to roll back protections that ban hidden fees by credit card companies, or rules that keep our kids from being exposed to mercury, or laws that prevent the health insurance industry from shortchanging patients.” [EA]
The laws to which the President is referring to are presumably the “medical-loss ratio” regulations which are part of ObamaCare. The laws are supposed to restrict the administrative overhead—and thus the profit—of insurance companies. Instead, this rule will drive many insurers out of business or cause them to leave certain smaller markets, driving down the quality of coverage and increasing the price. Many states are applying for waivers to delay implementation of these rules, because their insurance commissioners have said their citizens will lose access to their current insurance plans.
