Former Vice President Dick Cheney says he’s “inclined to agree” with former President Bill Clinton’s recent comments that the federal government should honor President Obama’s previous pledges that people can keep their health care plans if they so choose.
“That’s something that ought to be attempted, but given the complexity of the system, you’ve already got people now who have lost their policies, can’t get new ones,” Mr. Cheney told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren. “These policies have been declared by law to be inadequate because of the standards that are written into the federal regulations. I’m not quite sure how now you go peel back that onion.”
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Mr. Clinton said that the federal government should honor the commitment even if that requires a legislative fix. The 42nd president, however, largely has praised the law, while Mr. Cheney went on to call it a “train wreck.”
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White House press secretary Jay Carney said the administration is trying to help consumers who have been forced off their plans into more expensive coverage.
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“The president has tasked his team with looking at a range of options, as he said, to make sure that nobody is put in a position where their plans have been canceled and they can’t afford a better plan, even though they’d like to have a better plan,” Mr. Carney said.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Health Care Reform
But he gave no indication of how the administration might do that. Insurance companies are canceling policies because of requirements under the health care law for expanded coverage, and they likely would need to agree to any effort to restore old policies.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Health Care Reform
