Insurers are canceling the medical policies of about 100,000 New Yorkers enrolled in individual health plans because of ObamaCare, state health officials said.
But the figure is actually much higher because it doesn’t take into account hundreds of thousands covered under small business group policies that are being scrapped or rewritten to conform to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.
In New Jersey, the policies of 800,000 residents are affected by the insurance overhaul, officials in the Garden State said.
“Approximately 100,000 individuals will be required to change insurance because current plans are not compliant with ACA [Affordable Care Act],” said New York state Health Department spokesman Bill Schwarz.
Many of the existing policies are deemed substandard under ObamaCare. All new policies are required to carry new consumer protections — such as the prohibition on denying coverage for pre-existing medical conditions — and carry 10 “essential health benefits,” including maternity and pediatric care, substance abuse and mental health treatment, chronic disease care, and prescription drug, dental and vision coverage.
The Cuomo administration and Obama insist most New Yorkers forced to get insurance in the state health exchange will get a better deal.
State officials said the new coverage is, on average, 53 percent cheaper.
In response to criticism from New Yorkers upset that their policies are being eliminated, Albany officials emphasize they have “no control over these [federal] regulations.”
Obama is being slammed for promising that patients can keep their insurance plans and doctors if they like them — only to see both disappear in some cases.