White House tries to salvage Obamacare, Democrats in distress
The White House scrambled Wednesday to find solutions for the glaring failures in Obamacare as rebellious congressional Democrats pressured the administration over their increasing political predicament.
In a closed-door meeting at the Capitol, House Democrats blasted administration officials over their handling of the Obamacare rollout, and the White House’s failure to address Mr. Obama’s broken promise to Americans that they could keep their health insurance plans.
Top Senate Democrats, meanwhile, were giving more support to a legislative proposal that would allow people to keep their insurance plans. The White House said the proposal from Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, Louisiana Democrat, has more merit than a House Republican plan scheduled for a vote Friday.
Presidential aides wouldn’t commit to a specific fix.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said the president is trying to reassure congressional Democrats that he will decide on a solution “sooner rather than later."
“The frustration that Democrats who strongly support the Affordable Care Act and who strongly believe that it is the right thing to do … [feel] is similar to the frustration the president feels,” Mr. Carney said. “Nobody is satisfied.”
The reasons for the Democrats’ rising anger are clear. With website glitches and millions of constituents receiving insurance cancellation notices, lawmakers who supported the president’s health care reform plan are feeling more vulnerable about their re-election prospects next year, and many who fought for Obamacare are worried that its promise is being threatened by incompetence.
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