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Cathy Pederson, like so many other Americans, had her health plan canceled as a result of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
The Gilbert, Arizona, resident featured in a USA Today profile said she cannot afford a comparable plan, which would double her current $186 per month insurance premium.
>> How much are premiums going up in your state?
For the time being, Pederson is waiting to see if Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona will bring her old plan back.
Despite President Obama’s recent decree that insurance providers can continue canceled plans for up to one year, it’s no guarantee for customers.
According to Robert Laszewski, an analyst with Health Policy and Strategy Associates, USA Today reported that:
Insurers are essentially being given a month to reprogram their computer systems for policies, rates and eligibility; mail notices to the policyholders that describe just what the differences are between the grandfathered policies and the ACA compliant plans; request and receive the consumers’ decisions; then enter those decisions back into their systems.
Several states have already said they will not allow companies to change at this late stage. As Heritage’s Chris Jacobs has said, “the President’s promise that his new ‘plan’ can allow people to keep their plans is just as flawed and false as his original ‘like your plan/keep it’ pledge.”
Casey Cheap is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, please click here.
