WASHINGTON --President Obama personally apologized Thursday for assurances that people wholiked their health insurance plans would be able to keep them after the -- also known as Obamacare -- went into effect in October.
"I am sorrythat they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they gotfrom me," the president during an interview at the White House.
Obama and administration officials hadrepeatedly told people that the health insurance reform would not affect anyonewho was currently insured. While that was true for those with insurance throughtheir employers, many people who had individual coverage were forced off ofplans when requirements changed under Obamacare.
Aninvestigation by NBC News that officials knew as far back as 2010 that restrictions by theDepartment of Health and Human Services would limit the number of individualplans that would be grandfathered in under the new law. Officials said as manyas 50 to 70 percent of people with individual plans would not be able to keeptheir insurance. Individual purchasers make up about 5 percent of thepopulation.
Thatincludes about 90,000 people in Alabama, .