Meadows: ‘A one-year delay does not make good on the President’s promise’

Here’s the press release from the office of Mark Meadows:

Washington, D.C. – Representative Mark Meadows (NC-11) released the following statement in response to President Obama’s declaration that he would allow insurers to continue offering policies previously cancelled under the Affordable Care Act through 2014.

“To the more than 473,000 hardworking North Carolinians receiving insurance policy cancellation notices, President Obama’s promise that ‘if you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan’ is ringing hollow,” Meadows said. “Today, the President announced his intention to allow insurers to keep offering cancelled plans for one year. Unfortunately, a one-year delay does not make good on his promise.

“Soon after the President’s announcement, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) weighed in with their concerns:

‘This decision [by President Obama] continues different rules for different policies and threatens to undermine the new market, and may lead to higher premiums and market disruptions in 2014 and beyond.

‘It is unclear how, as a practical matter, the changes proposed today by the President can be put into effect. In many states, cancellation notices have already gone out to policyholders and rates and plans have already been approved for 2014. Changing the rules through administrative action at this late date creates uncertainty and may not address the underlying issues.’

“Obamacare still has a broken website and broken promises. To fix his flawed law, the President should be working with Congress rather than around us. The House of Representatives will vote tomorrow on H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act, which would allow millions of Americans to keep their policies without penalty. It is not fair for the President to unilaterally change the rules on his health care law while the American people continue to suffer its consequences.”