Rep. Todd Young, R-Ind., slammed President Obama for committing "betrayal" in the weekly Republican address on Saturday, claiming the president misled Americans when he assured them that, under the new health care reform law, they could keep their insurance plan if they liked it.
Young relayed stories of Indiana residents whose insurance has been canceled or become more expensive under the new law. "This is what betrayal looks like," he said. "Here you have hardworking people who were repeatedly told not to worry, that their coverage would stay the same and - if anything - their costs would go down. Just the opposite is happening."
"Adding insult to injury, the White House - the president - isn't leveling with us," Young added. "He's trying to cover his tracks, claiming he never really made these promises. No wonder a member of his own party called this a 'crisis of confidence.'"
On Tuesday, veteran Maryland Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski warned that the problems with the health care law's website and the stories of people losing their insurance due to the new law's minimum coverage standards have created a "crisis of confidence." She urged the administration to right the ship before the law sinks.
Her warning reflected a growing sense of anxiety among Democrats about the political and practical implications of the law's chaotic launch. This week, the president shifted rhetorical gears by candidly acknowledging the managerial failure in the law's debut and apologizing to people who are losing insurance due the law's regulations.