Promise first and apologize later – this was Obama’s plan all along.

In order to sell Obamacare to the public, Obama stated countless times, “If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health plan.”

President Obama clearly promised this to Americans who were concerned about what would happen after the Affordable Care Act became law. This vital piece of the act was part of the agreement, and Obama should keep his promise to its full extent.

However, at least 3.5 million Americans have received cancellation letters from their health insurance companies as a result of the onset of Obamacare, according to an article by The Washington Post.

Obama claims that while he apparently did not know what the Obama administration was doing, he is willing to take the blame. As convincing as that argument and apology is, experts have revealed that Obama and his administration have known these cancellations would happen for at least three years.

According to NBC News Investigators, inside sources have revealed that the Obama Administration understood that “50 to 75 percent of the 14 million consumers who buy their insurance individually can expect to receive a cancellation letter or the equivalent over the next year because their existing policies don’t meet the standards mandated by the new health care law.”

Obamacare supporters should be very grateful that the federal government does not function more like a private business – although this is another case that proves it should. If HealthCare.gov was a private business, Obama’s guarantee, “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan,” a statement the administration knew was untrue, would be torn apart in court.

This undeniable case of deceptive advertising violates the Federal Trade Commission Act, Section 5, which forbids “unfair or deceptive acts or practice in or affecting commerce.” This includes a “representation, omission or practice that is likely to mislead the consumer,” such that the consumer would be “likely to have chosen differently but for the deception.” Sound familiar?

It is a shame the federal government is able to get away with unlawful behavior that would be punished in other circumstances.

The only positive outcome is the public is finally beginning to understand just how deceitful the government is – President Obama included. Even Bill Clinton is publicly lecturing his fellow Democrats on his responsibility to honor former vows he made to the American public, according to CNN.

Headlines read that Obama is supposedly trying his best to fix this unfortunate misunderstanding. Thursday, Obama announced that the administration would delay enforcement against noncompliant plans for a year. Insurers could continue to offer them, although they would not be forced to, according to CNN. This ‘fix’ is only delaying problems, not solving them.

Health insurance companies could still choose to cancel plans, and in a year things will be right back where they are now. Also, this minor adjustment to the law could destabilize the market and result in higher premiums for consumers, according to CNN.

The only person this ‘fix’ might actually help is Obama, seeing as now the administration can blame all cancellations on the insurers. The administration can throw up its hands and say, “We changed the rule, if your insurer went ahead and canceled your policy anyway, that’s not our fault!” While this charade might work on some, hopefully the majority of Americans will remember who is truly responsible for intentionally misleading them.

While Obama should fully commit to honoring the extent of his promise to Americans, the possibility of that actually happening is doubtful.

Do not forget that Republicans have spent the past three years attempting to dismantle and defund Obamacare. Republicans recognized it as an unworkable and an illegitimate law since a Democratic Congress pushed it through without a single Republican vote.

Republicans’ predictions are coming true, and Democrats are backing away from Obamacare to avoid risking political damage. The Affordable Care Act is a failure.

Speaking for Republicans, Libertarians, individuals against an overreaching government, and anyone who has resisted Obamacare from the beginning, all we have left to say is: We told you so.

-Ashley Lynn Fisher is a junior English major from Gig Harbor. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this Column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.