Subpar health insuranec

The combination of cancelled policies and dysfunctional websites created the possibility that a substantial share of Americans could lose their “subpar” plans and be unable to enroll in the exchanges, putting them at risk of being fined. This is why Obama announced today an “administrative” (rather than legislative) fix aimed to delay the eventual cancellation of policies for one year.

However, insurance groups warned that such a last minute cancellation delay could risk destabilizing the market and result in higher premiums for consumers. Karen Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans warned “If now fewer younger and healthier people choose to purchase coverage in the exchange, premiums will increase and there will be fewer choices for consumers.” In other words, delaying cancellations could deter the youngest and healthiest Americans from obtaining insurance on the exchange, and as Politico writes: “free them of helping to foot the bill for everyone else.”

One needn’t be partisan to recognize that implementation of the federal health care law has been a mess thus far. The mess cannot simply be blamed on Republican sabotage or the Republican governors, as has been suggested. Instead, Americans place responsibility on the Obama administration (39 percent) and the contractors who designed the exchange websites (20 percent); only 4 percent blame Republican governors and 11 percent blame Congressional Republicans.

Altogether, the implementation debacle has resulted in Americans being as likely to trust Republicans with handling health care as Obama (43 to 42 percent respectively). This is particularly astounding for three reasons. First, Obama used to enjoy a +20 point advantage in 2009 before the law passed when the public trusted him 53 to 33 to handle health care policy. Second, just a few weeks, ago the Republican Party brand tanked during the shutdown, with favorability sinking to its lowest levels in decades. And lastly, health care has traditionally been a Democratic “owned” issue.

The key issue at stake here is trust, or a lack of it. Remaking the health care system—no matter the noble intentions—is a significant task and one that requires the public to have a high level of confidence in government’s efficacy. These recent poll numbers clearly indicate Obama and his administration have suffered a severe blow to their credibility. Americans are skeptical not only of the administration’s efficacy but its integrity to be honest with them.

Circumstances like these undermine the president’s contention that Americans should “reject these voices” that “incessantly warn of government.” While the current issue at hand is not a malicious power grab, it surely demonstrates the limits to what government as an institution is capable of doing, lending further credence to the idea that a government that governs best governs least.