President Obama conducted another series of interviews with local media designed to enable President Obama to speak directly to local audiences, without the filter of the national news media.
In one of those interviews, Matt Breen from Sioux City's KTIV, asked Obama about a local company that closed up shop and moved jobs back to Wisconsin. Obama responded by saying that would be hard to explain and seemed completely unaware that people are losing their health insurance plans because of ObamaCare:
KTIV’s Matt Breen: “One of those businesses that I mentioned said very specifically when they said they needed to close up shop and move their jobs back to Wisconsin was that it was a direct result of the health care reform that you initiated, that Congress passed. How do you react to that?”
President Barack Obama: “Yeah, that would be kind of hard to explain, because the only folks that have been impacted in terms of the health care bill are insurance companies who are required to make sure that they’re providing preventive care, or they’re not dropping your coverage when you get sick. And so, this particular company probably wouldn’t have been impacted by that. I know that there’s a perception sometimes that there’s all kinds of regulations coming out of Washington, the truth is actually we’ve seen fewer regulations coming out of my administration than the previous administration. But obviously, you know it’s tough running a small business no matter what. And we’re going to make sure that we continue to provide whatever financing help that we can provide.”
You can watch the exchange here.
In his efforts to get ObamaCare passed by Congress, Obama repeatedly assured Americans they would be able to keep their health insurance plan:
- Obama promised, "If you like your doctor, you're going to be able to keep your doctor. If you like your plan, keep your plan."
- Obama said, "Second, Americans must have the freedom to keep whatever doctor and health care plan they have…"
- Obama wrote, "The plans you are discussing embody my core belief that Americans should have better choices for health insurance, building on the principle that if they like the coverage they have now, they can keep it, …"
- Obama said, "There's no doubt that we have to preserve what's best in the health care system, and that means allowing Americans who like their doctor and like their health care plan to keep their plan. And that's going to be a priority for us."
- Obama said, "I know a lot of Americans who are satisfied with their health care right now are wondering what reform would mean for them, so let me be clear: If you like your doctor or health care provider, you can keep them. If you like your health care plan, you can keep that too."
- Obama said, "Those who oppose reform will also tell you that under our plan, you won't get to choose your doctor, that some bureaucrat will choose for you. That's also not true. Michelle and I don't want anyone telling us who our family's doctor should be, and no one should decide that for you either. Under our proposals, if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor. If you like your current insurance, you keep that insurance. Period. End of story." (President Barack Obama, Weekly Address, 7/18/09)
- Obama said, "If you like your current plan, you will be able to keep it. Let me repeat that: If you like your plan, you'll be able to keep it.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks On Health Care, Washington, D.C., 7/21/09)
Less than a year after the ever unpopular ObamaCare became law, there was warning after warning that Medicare Chief Actuary Richard Foster admitted to the House Budget Committee that it was not true that under the ObamaCare law, it was "not true in all cases" that people would get to keep their coverage if they liked it.
Shortly after Foster's admission, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warned a House subcommittee that about a million fewer people would not obtain health coverage through their employer during the period 2019 through 2021 than would have been the case if ObamaCare was not enacted.
In June 2011, Grace Marie-Turner warned a McKinsey study suggested that as many as 78 million Americans could lose their health coverage do to a dramatic decline of employer provided health insurance under ObamaCare.
In October 2011, the nation's largest private employer, Wal-Mart, announced that new part-time employees who work less than an average of 24 hours a week would no longer get health insurance from the company.
In November 2011, Gallup reported that governments and businesses have and will continue to cut back and/or reform their health coverage offerings due in part to the requirements ObamaCare:
"Employer-based health insurance has declined since 2008, falling from 49.8% in the first quarter of that year to 44.5% in the third quarter of 2011. If Wal-Mart's decision is a precursor of how employers intend to manage their healthcare costs, the downward trend in employer-based healthcare will likely continue.
"At the same time, the percentage of Americans who are uninsured is on the rise again after remaining fairly steady throughout 2010."
Thousands of seniors from Maine Massachusetts and New Hampshire, were notified in 2011 that their Medicare Advantage plans were dropped. So as were tens of thousands more in California and Virginia.
This year the nonpartisan CBO, found that ObamaCare could cause as many as 20 million Americans to lose their employer-provided healthcare.
How could Obama not be aware of the fact that his assurances that Americans are losing their health insurance plans because of ObamaCare despite his assurances?
That Matt Breen did not confront President Obama with any of the above facts, says a lot about why Obama would prefer to deal with local media.
Comments