President Obama, who is coming to Miami late today for fundraising, publicly apologized Thursday for over-promising on the Affordable Care Act in the past. He had assured Americans they wouldn’t lose their health insurance policies -- true for most people, but it turned out to be wrong for 5 to 8 percent of the population, those who buy plans in the individual market.
Those folks have raised Cain; the President has instructed his policy team to find a solution for those who will lose their insurance and who don’t qualify for subsidies, according to theTampa Bay Times.
Meanwhile, a top advisor to Obama said in a conference call with the press that Republican leaders in Louisiana and Florida need to stop pouting about the health law and get with the Medicaid-expansion program for the benefit of the many uninsured in the state.
David Simas, who advises the President about health issues, said 848,000 Floridians and 265,000 people in Louisiana could gain coverage with Medicaid expansion, as Politico reported. He said that blocking coverage expansion for millions of low-income people in an effort to see the Affordable Care Act fail is reckless, compromising constituents’ heath.
After long opposing the law, Gov. Rick Scott said earlier this year that he thought Florida should accept the federal funds -- an estimated $51 billion over 10 years -- to extend the program. The Senate passed a privatized version of a plan that would do so, but the House said no.
