Obama Apologizes for Insurance Cancellations

President’s Comments Mark Departure From ‘Keep Your Plan’ Pledge.

President Barack Obama said Thursday he was sorry that thousands of Americans are losing their health insurance, despite his repeated promises that under the Affordable Care Act, “if you like your plan, you can keep your plan.”

“I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me,” Mr. Obama told NBC News in an interview. “We’ve got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them and we are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this.“

The president’s comments mark a departure from his previous defense of the oft-repeated pledge. During the last week, Mr. Obama has argued that the number of people losing coverage is relatively small and that they will find more comprehensive health plans in the new marketplace.

The White House has declined to say that the president misspoke, when he repeated the “you can keep your plan” pledge in speeches spread over the last four years.

About 15.4 million people—approximately 5% of the U.S. population—are covered by individual health plans, and industry experts have said that many of them will see their plans terminated by the end of the year.

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