(CNN) - Four years ago today, President Barack Obama signed Obamacare into law, pledging that Americans could keep their health care plans and their doctors and that their coverage would be more secure and stable than before. As the horror stories continue to roll in, however, the emptiness of those promises and the human toll of this deeply misguided experiment have become increasingly difficult for Democrats to ignore. Consider Angela Strobel, a mother of five girls from Owensboro, Kentucky. Angela was perfectly happy with the insurance and the doctor she had before Obamacare. She also had an ironclad assurance from the President that she wouldnt have to sacrifice either one if his health care plan became law. Now she finds herself among the growing group of Americans whove been shell-shocked by the reality. The fact-checkers may have declared the Presidents you can keep your plan pledge last years lie of the year. But Angela and millions like her will be reeling from that broken promise for years. It wont be easy. Angela not only lost her insurance, she also lost a trusted family doctor to Obamacare. In a perfect summary of modern liberalism, one of the billing clerks for Kentuckys Obamacare exchange told Angela that since she now qualifies for Medicaid, shed be breaking the law if she tried to pay more out of her own pocket just to keep her old doctor. Medicaid rules forbid it. The upshot: for Angela and her family, its either Medicaid or a monthly premium increase of nearly $1,000. Tragically, stories likes Angelas are playing out in households all across the country. And the promises that were made to sell Obamacare — that it wouldnt disrupt peoples previous health care arrangements and that premiums would go down — are now being exposed for the cheap and deceptive sales pitch they were. It may be tempting for some to brush all this aside as standard politics. But its hard to think of anything even comparable to the scope of the deception involved in selling this law. The President made repeated, explicit pledges that no one would lose their doctor or their plans as a result of this law. For two years, he did everything he could to assure Americans that they had nothing to worry about. Yet now, as millions of Americans speak out about their frustrations and heartbreak, hes not even listening. Instead, leading Democrats have engaged in a despicable campaign to discredit the victims. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid labeled people like Angela liars, while other Democrats have downplayed statistics that cast it in an unfavorable light. As for the President, he seems more interested in promoting his NCAA bracket and talking up Obamacares elusive virtues on satirical talk shows like Between the Ferns. For the Washington Democrats who gave us Obamacare, in other words, these stories about lost care, lost doctors, and higher costs arent problems to be resolved, but political obstacles to be deflected. But theres only so much they can do to tune out or brush aside the cascading impact of Obamacare. In recent weeks, weve heard calamitous reports of Obamacare patients being denied access to doctors, hospitals and premium cancer care centers. A recent analysis by the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found that only a fraction of the biggest local hospitals in a given coverage area will accept Obamacare patients. An Associated Press study found that only four of the 19 cancer centers it surveyed would give Obamacare patients access to its cancer care through the new Obamacare exchanges in their states. This is progress? Dont tell that to Terri Durheim of Enid, Oklahoma. Shes another mom whos been blindsided by the realities of Obamacare. Terri told CNN that her son has a serious heart condition, but will now have to travel more than an hour to find a pediatric cardiologist whos covered under her new plan. She doesnt even want to think about what shell have to do in case of an emergency. Obviously wed have to pay out of pocket and go here in town, she said, but that defeats the purpose of insurance. Terris story raises a key question: what was the point of all this? Those who voted for Obamacare cling to the claim that theyve increased access. But as report after report has shown, increasing the ranks of the insured doesnt necessarily guarantee access. It certainly didnt for Angela and Terri. For many, the answer to all this is obvious: Admit that Obamacare is a failure, repeal it, and work together on bipartisan, patient-centered solutions that correct the deficiencies in our previous system. But clearly, those who supported this law still need convincing. Four years after Obamacare was signed into law, they still cant bring themselves to admit the reality all around us. That needs to change. Obamacares human toll is getting worse every day. We can do better. For the sake of people like Angela Strobel and Terri Durheim, we must. Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion. Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:35:42 +0000