>>there would still be a face-validity issue with Barack Obama's statement to millions of Americans when he said (no less than 23 times in a national/public setting) that you can keep your plan if you like it.

The grandfathering (now extended in other areas as well) was intended to allow this to be true. Consider the possibility for a moment that he believed what he said rather than telling a whopper lie that he must have known would be revealed. Consider that perhaps now he is dismayed and disappointed that insurers acted otherwise. Could this be true? Depends whether you believe in allowing the benefit of the doubt.

Also consider that he cannot compel insurers to keep offering policies and that insurers are using "blame obama" to cancel unprofitable policies they wanted to shelve for years. At least one of the sad tales already turned out to be about a very good policy being canceled because it had not ben reviewed for years and was too cheap by today's prices. Obama does not force cancellation of good policies set up to offer permanent cover in the days when the economy was buoyant and bosses thought they had a responsibility to their people.