×

Rush Limbaugh

For a better experience,
download and use our app!

The Rush Limbaugh Show Main Menu

Listen to it Button

RUSH: I’ve been getting a series of e-mails for the past week, when the intense detail of the failure of the Obamacare website rollout began. And over the course of past programs I have repeatedly mentioned that Obama promised that your premium would come down $2,500 and you’d get to keep your plan. And I’ve actually had people send me e-mails, “You keep saying that. I don’t remember him saying that. Where did he say that?”

Folks, I was taken aback by that ’cause I thought — maybe it’s a common mistake — I thought everybody knew that Obama had promised their premiums would come down $2,500, because the Drive-Bys did cover that. I mean, the Drive-Bys trumpeted that because that was one of the big selling points. So I asked Cookie to put together a montage of Obama promising that if you’d like to keep your doctor and your insurance company, you could, which they are now admitting — oh, folks, this is great. Valerie Jarrett, who some think actually runs this show, Valerie Jarrett tweeted out that Obamacare didn’t terminate your health plan, the insurance companies did.

It’s the most unreal thing, because why are the insurance companies changing their plans? It’s because they have to comply with Obamacare! This is worse than disingenuous. It’s worse than just out-and-out lying. This is insulting. “Obamacare doesn’t force you off your plan. Your insurance company does.” The only reason the insurance companies with are changing anything is like everybody else: They’ve got to change to comply with what the law is.

And, in fact, I have here, ladies and gentlemen, the actual law itself.

It’s on page 43 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Let me read this to you. This is in the law. Not that that matters, because Obama changes it on a whim, but let me read this to you. The title of this section of the law (Section 1251) is, “Preservation of Right to Maintain Existing Coverage — No changes to existing coverage: (1) In general — Nothing in this Act (or an amendment made by this Act) shall be construed to require that an individual terminate coverage under a group health plan or health insurance coverage in which such individual was enrolled” on the date of enactment of the Act.

“(2) … [W]ith respect to a group health plan or health insurance coverage in which an individual was enrolled on [the date of enactment], this subtitle and subtitle A (and the amendments made by such subtitles) shall not apply to such plan or coverage…” The actual law says that your current plan can’t be terminated if you have it and if you like it on the day Obamacare is enacted. It cannot be terminated. It’s right here in the law, Section 1251, Preservation of Right to Maintain Existing Coverage.

This is why Obama was out touting it.

“You like your doctor, you get to keep your doctor! You like your plan, you get to keep it!” Obamacare, as it turns out, didn’t terminate your health plan; Obama did. Obama himself did. The law says that you get to keep your plan no matter what. If you have a plan you like when this law is enacted (i.e., signed by him) then you “get” to keep it. But you aren’t being able to keep it, are you? You’re not. You can’t. Why can’t you keep it? Because the insurance companies are not offering it anymore!

So Valerie Jarrett’s out there saying, “Well, we didn’t force you off your plan. Insurance companies are.” Well, yeah, but that’s because they have to change their policies and plans to comply with Obamacare. This is outrageous! If I don’t watch myself, I’m gonna get lost here again like I did before. This is outrageous. It is in the law you get to keep your plan. But you can’t, can you? Because Obama is responsible for that.

Probably, he doesn’t know. What does he know? Does he even know he’s president? What the hell does he know? They offer that up as an excuse. I gotta take a break. I’ll come back and we put together this montage of Obama promising you can keep your plan and the $2,500 premium reduction in cost, because I’m getting questions. “I’ve never heard him say that!” So I just want to play it. It’s almost a minute and a half, and it’s pretty powerful.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Our montage covers the years 2007 through 2010, from when Obama was a senator (a Democrat from Illinois) to when Obama was president talking about what the American people could expect from his health care plan.


OBAMA: (June 23, 2009) If you have your plan and you like it, and you like your doctor, then you don’t have to change plans. The government is not going to make you change plans.

OBAMA: (June 5, 2008) (godlike echo) You’re going to have a plan that lowers premiums by $2,500!

OBAMA: (January 31, 2008) I am actually not interested in just capping premiums. I want to lower premiums by $2,500 per family!

OBAMA: (October 4, 2008) (outdoor noise) We will start by reducing premiums by as much as $2,500 per family.

OBAMA: (October 15, 2008) You can keep your choice of doctor; keep your plan. The only thing we’re going to do is lower costs. Cut a average family’s premium by about $2,500 per year.

OBAMA: (June 27, 2008) (outdoor noise) It’s time to bring down the typical family premium by $2,500, and to bring down the costs.

OBAMA: (October 29, 2009) The first thing I want to make clear is that if you are happy with the insurance plan, nobody will make you change it.

OBAMA: (August 6, 2008) …a system where we’re gonna work with your employers to lower your premiums by up to $2,500 per family per year.

OBAMA: (October 4, 2008) We will start by reducing premiums by as much as $2,500 per family.

OBAMA: (February 23, 2008) … and we will lower premiums for the typical family by $2,500 a year.

OBAMA: (August 17, 2008) And if you already have health care, then we’re gonna work to lower your premiums by up to $2,500 per family.

OBAMA: (April 20, 2008) We’re gonna work with your employer to lower premiums by up to $2,500 per family per year.

OBAMA: (April 1, 2010) (godlike echo) If you like your insurance plan, you will keep it. No one will be able to take that away from you.

RUSH: Not one of those was repeated. They run from 2007 to 2010. Actually he said it even a lot during this year as well, but we had to have a cutoff point. But really I was getting e-mails, “What do you mean? You keep talking about Obama saying he’d reduce your plan by $2,500. I don’t remember hearing him say that.” There it is. It’s all over the place. Folks, I don’t understand. After all of this… This is not something that low-information voters don’t know about now.

I mean, again, on the Daily Show last night, Jon Stewart just made fun of Obama for not knowing what’s going on in his regime. I mean, it’s all over the place now. You don’t get to keep your plan, but yet that is in the law. Do you realize it is in the law in section 1251, Preservation of Right to Maintain Existing Coverage? It’s in the law. You get to keep it if you have it and like it on the day this law’s enacted.

But you don’t, do you? The law’s being broken. That’s why Valerie Jarrett tweets out, “Well, we didn’t force you off your plan. Your insurance company does.” This is just sophistry. This is just mendacious. There’s no other way to describe this. They are forcing everybody to change what they’re doing in order to comply with this law, insurance companies included. Now here is Jim Acosta.

This is the CNN reporter who, when the government shutdown was over, sent a tweet about how excited he was that the leaf blowers were back in action at the Capitol. (paraphrased) “Everything’s back to normal,” he tweeted. “All right! I’m jazzed! I hear the leaf blowers again.” He’s talking with Wolf Blitzer filling in for Anderson Cooper last night, and they’re talking about all of the businesspeople being kicked off their insurance plans because of Obamacare.

ACOSTA: Essentially, a lot of Americans out there are just going to have to roll through the punches. Why is this important? Because the president has said already many times over the years that if you like your plan, you can change (sic) it. But it seems, according to this insurance industry insiders (sic) and what is happening right now just on a large-scale through the Obamacare program, that the president should have never used those words, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yeah, the president repeatedly said, “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan; if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.” Not necessarily happening right now across the board.

RUSH: “Aw, darn it! He just shoulda never said. Aw, darn it! Why did he say that? I guess it’s just not necessarily happening right now across the board,” and that’s it.

They’re just sad.

They’re not mad.


They not treating Obama as they would a Republican caught in this situation. No, they’re just sad. Jim Acosta, listen to him. I don’t think he even is really fully up to speed on what’s happening here. Just upset. “Aw, darn it! Why’d Obama say it? Aw, darn it! You know what? He shoulda never used those words, Wolf,” except that he did, and he did knowing full well it wasn’t true, Mr. Acosta. He “used those words” as a lure, and you people in the media, you just fell right in line.

You just accepted it. Rather than look into it, rather than be curious you, rather than actually inform your viewers and your audience, you just accepted what Obama said, and now that Obama doesn’t look good, the only reaction you have is, “Aw, darn it! I wish he hadn’t said that, Wolf.” Well, what about the fact that the American people have been lied to? How many people voted for this guy? How many people supported this stupid, idiotic plan on the basis they would be able to keep what they had at $2,500 less?

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Here’s Caleb in Raleigh, North Carolina. Welcome to the EIB Network. Hello.

CALLER: Thanks a lot, Rush. I just wanted to join my voice to the many others who have called in about their rising premiums. I just found out today I have employer based health coverage and found out how much more affordable my health insurance will be. I’m paying for myself, my wife, and four kids, and we are currently paying about just over $4,000 a year.

RUSH: That’s what you’re currently paying?

CALLER: That’s what we’re currently paying for medical and dental.

RUSH: Now, let me ask you, are you actually paying that, or is that an employer benefit?

CALLER: That’s what I’m paying.

RUSH: You’re actually writing a check or giving your credit card?

CALLER: No, no, right. It’s coming out of my check.

RUSH: Oh, okay. Okay.

CALLER: Yeah.

RUSH: So you don’t see it first.

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: It comes out of your check before you see it, okay.

CALLER: Right. And thanks to the Affordable Care Act, our new premium, we found out today, will be over $13,000 a year.

RUSH: Wait a minute, for you, your wife, and four kids, so six people, and your premium is 13?

CALLER: Correct.

RUSH: What is your deductible?

CALLER: It’s currently, for just the medical, $1,500. And it’s gonna go up to I think $4,000 for the deductible.

RUSH: Man, just wait ’til the employer mandate kicks in back in 2015, imagine how well off you’ll be then.


CALLER: Oh, yeah.original

RUSH: In fact, you know what? The regime has announced a delay until either April 1st or March 1st of next year. They’ve delayed the individual mandate, and there’s some insurance companies saying this is not a good idea because they’re just delaying sticker shock. The longer Obama delays mandatory sign-up, the more expensive it’s going to get. There’s no good news here for the vast majority of Americans, when it comes to money and health care, there’s no good news. And I’m gonna tell you, folks, this is — I don’t know how to characterize this. Everybody’s been lied to about this, and they were lied to at the time that would influence their vote.


There are people who voted for Obama’s election and then reelection because they believed that their premiums would be coming down $2,500, and they believed that they would be able to keep their policy or their plan, their doctor, what have you. They voted on that basis. They were entirely misled and lied to. I know that’s politics, and the First Amendment applies, they can say whatever they want, whenever they want. There’s no such thing in truth-in-advertising laws, but this is just outrageous. Because there are people who voted for this man and his ideas and his plans based on fraud, fraudulent promises, that they knew were fraudulent promises when they made them. That’s what the news is today.

CBS News and NBC are both reporting, primarily on this side of it NBC, that the regime knew as far back as 2010 that they were not telling the truth when they told us that we could keep our plans and doctors if we liked it. They knew it wasn’t true, and they got reelected on that basis, and so did a lot of other Democrats carrying the water for it. So what are we supposed to do in that circumstance? This is not like voting for a tax increase that could maybe be reduced with another president. This is a fundamental transformation of one-sixth of the US economy that has been transferred to government control, making all of us essentially prisoners to it, and it all happened under totally false pretense.

Now, what are we supposed to do? The idea that there are people on our side that do not want to fight back on this, I don’t understand that. But they don’t. They just want to sit there and commentate on it and they want to explain to us why we shouldn’t fight back. It won’t help us win elections. It’s just gonna alienate people and we gotta understand the times are changing in the country and so forth. It would be one thing if Obama campaigned and said, “Your premiums gonna go up to $13,000 and you’re not gonna be able to keep your plan” and then got elected, fine. But that’s not what happened here. There was outright, purposeful misrepresentation on something as crucially important to most people as their health care.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This