‘Keep your plan’ pledge earns Politifact ‘Lie of the Year’ award

The political fact-checking organization Politifact has deemed President Obama’s claim that if you like your plan you can keep it under the healthcare overhaul its “Lie of the Year.”

{mosads}“It was a catchy political pitch and a chance to calm nerves about his dramatic plan to bring historic change to America’s health insurance system,” Politifact wrote. “But the promise was impossible to keep.”

Millions of people have been told by their insurers that their plans will be canceled under the Affordable Care Act, despite Obama’s promises that no one who liked their plan would lose it.

The White House announced a workaround earlier this year at a press conference in which Obama said he heard “loud and clear” why individuals were upset over receiving the cancellation notices despite his promise.

“I completely get how upsetting this could be … particularly after assurances they heard from me,” he said at the time.

The president’s offer to quell the bipartisan outcry was to allow states an additional year to continue offering plans that don’t meet ObamaCare’s mandated requirements.

The executive action has received a cool reception from some liberals, state insurers and industry groups, and would still render Obama’s original pledge “false” by 2015.