CBS: Two Million Forced Out of Health Plans By ObamaCare 'Just The Tip of the Iceberg'
Tuesday's CBS This Morning repeatedly played up how "more than two million Americans are losing their current health care coverage because of ObamaCare". Jan Crawford outlined that "this is just the tip of the iceberg. And the people who are opening these letters are shocked to learn they can't keep their current policies, despite the President's assurances to the contrary."
Crawford underlined that "the White House is on the defensive, trying to explain how, when the President repeatedly" used his now-infamous "if you like your insurance plan, you will keep it" promise, "he really didn't mean it." She didn't disclose, however, that her featured "industry expert" is an alumnus of the Clinton administration. [MP3 audio available here; video below]
Anchor Charlie Rose led with the two million figure during his tease for the CBS correspondent's report, but stopped short of calling out the President: "CBS News confirms more than two million Americans are losing their current health care coverage because of ObamaCare. Jan Crawford uncovers new information on what could be a broken promise." Could be?
Co-anchor Norah O'Donnell also pointed out that this number is "more than triple the number of people said to be buying insurance under the Affordable Care Act, which the President himself calls ObamaCare." Crawford continued with her "tip of the iceberg" line, and soon played a clip of one of the many times President Obama made his promise, along with White House Press Secretary Jay Carney's recent spin trying to cover it up.
The journalist then outlined what she labeled the "unexpected reality" of ObamaCare. Actually, it's not that "unexpected", as NBC News revealed that the Obama administration knew for years that millions of Americans wouldn't be able to keep their current plans (Crawford didn't report this development during the segment):
JAN CRAWFORD: It's an unexpected reality of ObamaCare, being told through though anecdotes in local papers and on social media. But the hard numbers reveal the evidence is far more than anecdotal. CBS News has confirmed with insurance companies across the country that more than two million people are getting notices they no longer can keep their existing plan – in California, 279,000; in Michigan, 140,000; Florida, 300,000; and in New Jersey, 800,000. And those numbers are certain to go even higher. Some companies tell us they've sent letters, but they won't tell us how many.
Near the end of her report, Crawford played two soundbites from Larry Levitt with the liberal Kaiser Family Foundation. She identified Levitt as one of many "industry experts", but failed to give his organization an ideological label, along with his past occupation inside the Clinton White House. The "expert" did his best to find the silver lining to the situation: "The winners outnumber the losers here. But because of all the website problems, it's really hard to find out who those winners are, because they don't even know it themselves."
The full transcript of Jan Crawford's report from Tuesday's CBS This Morning:
CHARLIE ROSE: CBS News confirms more than two million Americans have been told they cannot renew their current health insurance policies.
NORAH O'DONNELL: And that is more than triple the number of people said to be buying insurance under the Affordable Care Act, which the President himself calls ObamaCare.
Jan Crawford is in Washington. Jan, good morning.
JAN CRAWFORD: Good morning, Norah; good morning, Charlie. You know, there have been estimates of hundreds of thousands of people across the country losing their current coverage. But we reached out to insurance companies across the country to find out some real numbers. This is just the tip of the iceberg. And the people who are opening these letters are shocked to learn they can't keep their current policies, despite the President's assurances to the contrary.
[CBS News Graphic: "Coverage Dropped: Insurance Companies Canceling 2 Million Policies"]
CRAWFORD (voice-over): The White House is on the defensive, trying to explain how, when the President repeatedly said this:
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA (from August 15, 2009 WhiteHouse.gov video): If you like your doctor or health care plan, you can keep it.
CRAWFORD: He really didn't mean it.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY (from press briefing): What the President said, and what everybody said all along, is that there are going to be changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act that create minimum standards of coverage.
CRAWFORD: It's an unexpected reality of ObamaCare, being told through though anecdotes in local papers and on social media. But the hard numbers reveal the evidence is far more than anecdotal. CBS News has confirmed with insurance companies across the country that more than two million people are getting notices they no longer can keep their existing plan – in California, 279,000; in Michigan, 140,000; Florida, 300,000; and in New Jersey, 800,000. And those numbers are certain to go even higher. Some companies tell us they've sent letters, but they won't tell us how many.
LARRY LEVITT, KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION: What we're seeing now is – is the – the reality coming into play.
CRAWFORD: Industry experts, like Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation, say the insurance companies have no choice. ObamaCare forces them to drop many of their plans that don't meet the law's ten minimum standards, including maternity care, emergency visits, mental health treatment, and even pediatric dental care. That means consumers have to sign on to new plans, even if they don't want or need the more generous coverage.
Industry experts say about half of the people getting these letters will pay more. Half will pay less, thanks to taxpayer subsidies.
LEVITT: The winners outnumber the losers here. But because of all the website problems, it's really hard to find out who those winners are, because they don't even know it themselves.
CRAWFORD (on-camera): Now, for people who have gotten these letters, that broken website is a real problem. I mean, they don't know what to do; they don't know if they get subsidies. And then, there are these other people, Charlie and Norah, who are getting these letters – they have very good insurance, and they're being told they can't keep it. Industry experts we talked to say that for everyone, the best bet is just call your insurance companies to get the information.
ROSE: Thanks, Jan.
— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.
