More than 2,300 more health insurance policies are slated for cancellation in Colorado in the wake of the Affordable Care Act, bringing the total to nearly 340,000 since Obamacare debuted in October.
The numbers were reported by the Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) in a letter to state Senate Republicans, who’ve asked for regular updates since about a quarter of a million policies were first canceled last year.
That figure led to a political dust storm when staffers of Democratic Sen. Mark Udall tried to strong-arm the DOI into walking back its numbers. In an email, one insurance division supervisor wrote to her colleagues that Udall’s staff wanted to “trash” the DOI’s numbers, but held fast to the total even as Udall’s spokesman argued that most of those whose policies were cancelled were offered opportunities to renew. (RELATED: Sen. Mark Udall Tried To ‘Trash’ Independent Obamacare Cancellation Numbers)
Udall, who’s running for re-election in a tight race with Republican challenger Rep. Cory Gardner, has taken punches over his support of the ACA.
“Today’s announcement is yet another reminder that Senator Udall lied to Coloradans when he promised them if they liked their healthcare plan, they could keep it under Obamacare,” Gardner said in a press release. “Senator Udall’s vote for Obamacare has hurt Colorado families and resulted in more than 335,000 Coloradans receiving insurance cancelation notices. Not only is Senator Udall responsible for these cancelations, but he also shamefully tried to cover them up when the first batch of cancelations was originally announced.”
Udall was told to stick to his guns Monday by former President Bill Clinton, who spoke to the Denver Post while in Colorado for the annual conference of the Clinton Global Initiative.
“I can’t tell him what to do,” Clinton said, “but I think that the worst thing we could have done with our health care system was nothing.”
“[A]nd I think that’s one of the things that Sen. Udall ought to bring home to all those people who are committed to repealing it.”
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