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Obama Then, Now, and Then Again on Keeping Your Insurance

2:15 PM, Sep 14, 2009 • By MARY KATHARINE HAM
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Last week, on the night of Obama's speech to the joint session, I posted this:


Obama, then:

First, no matter what you've heard, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor under the reform proposals that we've put forward. If you like your private health insurance plan, you can keep it. If your employer provides you health insurance on the job, nobody is talking about messing with that.

Obama, now:

First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.

More by Mary Katharine Ham

Jennifer Rubin notes Obama changed his mind once again when speaking Saturday:

Now, I've also said that one of the options in the insurance exchange, one of the options - most of the folks who are going to be offering insurance through the exchange are going to be private insurers - Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, all these. Well, I think one of the options should be a public insurance option. (Applause.) Now let me be clear. Let me be clear. Let me be clear: It would only be an option. Nobody would be forced to choose it. No one with insurance would be affected by it. But what it would do is, it would provide more choice and more competition. (Applause.) It would keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable, to treat their customers better.

I wonder why it is folks aren't sure whether to trust him.