Let me get this straight, if we follow the Presidents latest HCR plan,

[grahamhgreen]

Americans will be forced to buy for-profit insurance, and some of those plans will actually cover little or nothing.

"Insurers can extend current plans that otherwise would be canceled into 2014 and Americans whose plans have been canceled can choose to re-enroll in the same kind of plan," Obama said. "This fix won't solve every problem for every person, but it's going to help a lot of people. Doing more would require work with Congress."

[upaloopa]

1. Well how can he get a break?

If he doesn't allow those old worthless plans to continue he is a liar. If he lets them continue he's pushing useless insurance.
Is that how you see it?

[grahamhgreen]

2. Well, he failed to close gitmo, does that make him a liar?

He is called a liar continually by the right, no amount of back pedaling will help him avoid that plight.

So, rather than focusing on his image, he should focus on his policy and what is best for Americans.

I have felt from the very beginning that this health care plan would be dissembled point by point until Americans are left with nothing but a mandate to buy for-profit insurance that guarantees absolutely nothing in return.

This is handing big insurance mandated crapsurance, 'but only for a year'. Of course, at the end of the year, they only need to continue to extend the bad plans, then offer them within the exchange and, viola, big insurance gets the big bucks for providing nothing.

All the president should say is "Sorry, this is why we need a public option".

[1StrongBlackMan]

4. I think ...

his "supporters" are far more focused on his image, than he is.

All the president should say is "Sorry, this is why we need a public option".

And that would accomplish what ... other than give the gop another 18 months of "even he knows his plan is crap" talking points?

[grahamhgreen]

6. Um, he also promised us a public option! We don't want him lying about that too:) but

What it really does is put forward an actual solution to our health care crisis - big insurance will never solve it.

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. Or another (fact-based) way to look at it …

Americans will be forced to buy for-profit insurance (or pay a really modest tax penalty), but will have a choice to buy plans that will actually cover little or nothing or an ACA-qualifying plans.

And you have a problem with this?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

5. Or maybe the "junk insurance" is just a talking point. A dramtocally failed talking point.

People know what they do or don't want and you can't insult them into changing their minds. They don't want policies with coverage for services they won't use and then be forced to pay thousands of dollars. It was no secret when this was first appearing that this was cost sharing intended to cover the high members of the pool. Add on the fact that the employer mandate was delayed by executive fiat for presumably this exact same reason -- assuming your employer hasn't already dumped you and/or cut your schedule to 28 hours a week.

If those plans really were "junk insurance" then the President would be remiss in allowing them to be sold once again. The plans aren't junk, it's an admission the regulations went too far but the boat has already sailed. The lack of candor and accompanying sticker shock created this controversy but it should be no surprise for anyone with an ounce of honesty.

[grahamhgreen]

7. The examples I've seen are junk - coverage at $800/year with a $2,000 max payout. Consumer

protections are critical for this to have gotten through congress, to sweep them away leaves us nothing but a mandate to give money to big insurance for nothing in return.