Hagan, Pryor join bill to fix ObamaCare

Sens. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) have added their support to legislation aimed at keeping President Obama’s promise that people who like their health insurance plans will be able to keep them under ObamaCare.

The Keeping the Affordable Care Act Promise Act, S. 1642, was introduced Monday by Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). Landrieu said the bill is needed because millions of people are losing their health insurance under the law, which sets new standards for insurance that some plans did not meet.

{mosads}The addition of Hagan and Pryor comes just as the House is looking to pass similar legislation next week, which might also draw support from Democrats.

Hagan said Friday that President Obama’s Thursday apology to people who are being forced into new and sometimes more expensive plans is not good enough.

“An apology is only helpful if it is followed by direct and meaningful action to get the Affordable Care Act working, which is why I’ve pushed to extend the open enrollment deadline and am supporting a bill that would allow people to keep their current plans,” Hagan said.

Hagan was one of several Democratic senators up for reelection next year who met with Obama this week on the failures of the ObamaCare website so far and the millions of canceled insurance plans.

Hagan said she used that meeting to express her “deep frustration” about the failed site, and said the administration needs to fix it quickly.

“I’ve always said that this law would require fixes and everyone needs to be on board with making this law work so that we can get people affordable health insurance that doesn’t discriminate based on pre-existing conditions or kick you to the curb when you get sick,” she said. “The administration needs to step up and fix these problems if we are to accomplish that goal.”

Pryor and Landrieu are also up for reelection next year, although Manchin is up in 2018.

When she introduced the bill Monday, Landrieu did not mince words about the need for Democrats to change the law so it reflects the promises they made.

“We said to people that if they have insurance they like, they can keep it,” Landrieu said. “We didn’t say that if they have insurance they like that doesn’t meet the standards or that meets the minimum standards, they can keep it.”