Washington state insurance commissioner will not allow insurers to extend policies

[ProSense]

The backlash to the Obamacare fix has already started

By Sarah Kliff

It took about three hours exactly for states to start pushing back against President Obama's request that regulators allow insurance plans to offer current products in 2014.

Washington state insurance commissioner Mike Kreidler has announced that he will not allow insurance companies to do so.

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It does feel a bit weird to have one of the most liberal regulators be the first out of the gate to oppose Obama. At the same time, it also makes sense: What Kreidler is doing is a full-throated defense of the Affordable Care Act.

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"I encourage anyone who is shopping for new health plans – whether you’ve been uninsured or have received a cancellation notice from your insurer – to look at all of your options," Kreidler continues. "Don’t just take what your insurance company says."

The full statement from Kreidler is below.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/14/the-backlash-to-the-obamacare-fix-has-already-started/

Kudos to Kreidler.

Obama proposes health care fix
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024033833

[Keefer]

1. He is also giving cover to

the insurance companies. They can now say "We wanted to re-offer our old plans, but the commissioner wouldn't let us.

[ProSense]

2. Nah, the insurance companies

are too busy whining that Obama step on their plans. They're currently opposing this because Obama proposed it.

Also, as Kreidler stated, he's encouraging people to shop the exchanges. That is not good news for the insurance companies because their goal was to keep people in the dark and sell them their own high-priced policies off the exchanges.