If people whose health insurance was canceled under Obamacare this year don’t line up new coverage this month, the Obama administration could face a political nightmare. More people could have lost coverage than gained it when the health law benefits begin on Jan. 1.
That’s by no means a certainty; the sign-up website is doing better, some insurance carriers are extending plans instead of canceling them, and there are millions more uninsured people who stand to get covered than there are covered people facing plan cancellations. Medicaid sign-ups are also running strong.
Still, the estimated 4 million to 5 million — there are no official numbers, just industry guesstimates — getting plan cancellation notices have had a giant media megaphone, a Republican chorus and a story to tell about how President Barack Obama broke a promise that if they liked their health plans, they could keep them. And some of them need to get new coverage before the first of year.
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