Why some individuals are losing their health plans under ObamaCare

It's complicated. But a glitchy website isn't ObamaCare's only PR problem.

Obama
(Image credit: (Alex Wong/Getty Images))

After President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, he assured Americans that if they like their health care plan, they'd get to keep it when the law takes full effect in 2014. He made similar statements in the 2012 presidential campaign. And in most cases, it's true. For a few million Americans, though, it won't be.

Hundreds of thousands of people who buy their own insurance are already getting cancellation notices from their health insurers, informing them that due to the more comprehensive coverage mandated under ObamaCare, their old plans are defunct. Eventually, at least half of the 14 million individually insured Americans will get such notices, according to experts. Plenty of them will face "sticker shock," with their suggested replacement plans carrying significantly higher premiums.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.