The Democrats’ health care overhaul tasked the non-partisan experts at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) with developing important regulations that will influence how every private insurance plan operates.  This week, the NAIC sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) warning that “we continue to have concerns about the potential for unintended consequences arising from” ObamaCare.  Specifically, the NAIC cited the potential for “destabilized insurance markets where consumer choice is limited and the solvency of insurers is undermined.”  The NAIC went on to note that over the next few years, “those who lose coverage may be unable to find or afford other coverage,” as a result of the law.  So much for keeping what you have and like.

While the specific provision of concern to the NAIC does not go into effect until January 1, 2011, the Democrats’ health care overhaul is already causing hundreds of thousands Americans to lose their current health insurance:

• In New Mexico, National Health, Aetna, and John Alden, are no longer offering insurance to individuals who buy insurance on their own or through a small business; 
• The Principal Financial Group has announced that it will stop selling health insurance because of the Democrats’ health overhaul.  This means that 840,000 Americans will lose their current health plan; 
• Fast-food giant McDonald’s has indicated it may eliminate health insurance for 30,000 hourly employees because of ObamaCare;   
• Maine’s Superintendent of Insurance has warned that without a waiver from ObamaCare, one-third of all privately insured Maine residents who purchase health insurance on their own will lose coverage;  
• Virginia-based nHealth announced it was shutting down its operations in response to the Democrats’ health law; and
• Major insurers like Anthem BlueCross and BlueShield, Aetna, Cigna, CoventryOne, Humana and UnitedHealthCare are going to stop selling child-only health care policies in many states.

This should come as no surprise to Congressional Democrats given that the Obama Administration predicts that up to 7 in 10 Americans with employer-provided health insurance will lose their current health plan and 9 out of 10 seniors who have retiree drug coverage will lose it by 2016 as a result of ObamaCare.

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