Will You Really Be Able to Keep Your Current Health Plan? (VIDEO)

As President Obama makes his push for health care reform, one of his key selling points has been that if you're happy with your current insurance plan you can keep it. This message appeals to voters afraid of being forced into coverage from a government program. However, a close reading of the proposed legislation suggests this may not be true.

University of Chicago law professor Richard Epstein has read the crucial sections of the draft bill and argues that rules about current private health plans are unrealistic and unfairly favor the public option. According to Epstein, the bill says that when members of plan exit from it, the plan is no longer the same plan. Thus, the plan's operators will have to comply with new regulations, something they won't be able to do and still maintain their existing pricing and services.

If Epstein is right, and I suspect he is, then Congress must reconcile these inconsistencies to make good on the President's sales pitch.

Watch the full program at FORA.tv.

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Comments

[WutWut]

12:47 PM on 09/25/2009

What a surprise. Obama misleads the public.

[MeDonut]

12:45 AM on 09/25/2009

What a surprise! This from the University of Chicago...­.

What else would we expect from the "corporati­ons first, screw the individual­" nuts at the U. of Chicago?

Epstein -- another free market zealot with lifetime tenure, "opinions" funded by the government grants, and a comfy seat in the faculty club. The only people who doesn't see through the hypocrisy are his colleagues at the U. of Chicago.

[einstein10]

06:15 PM on 09/24/2009

Keep Epstein out of the health care debate! or welcome a new era of fascism.

[einstein10]

06:13 PM on 09/24/2009

"Universit­y of Chicago law professor Richard Epstein has read the crucial sections of the draft bill and argues that rules about current private health plans are unrealisti­c and unfairly favor the public option"

This guy Epstein is THE WORST and has LONG ARGUED essentiall­y that 'if you can't afford health insurance, just die.'

[tompoe]

04:38 PM on 09/24/2009

Insurance industry has a track record of at least 20% rejection of claims, and you argue that's better than health care reform that offers patients the security of not having to face bankruptcy should they be seriously injured or sick or disabled? Glad you mentioned your current gig. I'll be sure to avoid it.

[caril]

03:17 PM on 09/24/2009

What are you talking about... which bill, which plan?

There is no public option in the Baucus bill... there are health care exchanges that uninsured people can join... roughly about 5% will be able to.

You can only "exit the plan", if you're talking about the employer based plan if your premium exceeds ~12% of your gross pay... an unrealisti­cally high percentage that will keep people from being able to exit the plan!

This article makes no sense and is very misleading­... why don't you link to Epstein's analysis..­. or better yet... do some actual reporting where YOU figure out what he's saying and if it's correct. Shocking concept I know.

[Louisef]

03:06 PM on 09/24/2009

And you think you're going to be able to keep your current plan if nothing changes?

If you buy your own insurance, you won't be able to afford it a few years from now and will have to cut your own benefits as I just had to do.

And if you have employer-p­aid insurance, they'll change your benefits without asking you to try and cut costs.