CNN host Piers Morgan raked President Obama and Democratic guest Rep. Frank Pallone (D., N.J.) over the coals Wednesday for Obama's false promise that Americans could keep their health insurance if they liked it under the Affordable Care Act.
A report from NBC Monday revealed that the administration knew since 2010 that millions of Americans would not keep their health insurance since their plans would not meet the new standards of the health care law.
"When the president repeatedly stood up and told the American people, if you want to keep your doctor or your plan, you can do that, with no qualifications to it, none of this, 'If it's not quite good enough and it gets changed,' but just boldly telling people, if you want to keep your doctor or your plan you can," Morgan said. "That was just a lie, wasn't it? A complete and utter falsehood."
Pallone said "of course" Americans could keep their plans under Obamacare while fellow guest Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) muttered, "No, they can't" on the other screen. Pallone went on to say most people would be able to retain their coverage policies in the individual market if their companies continued to sell them.
Morgan cut in again, demanding to know why Obama didn't modify his initial promises that way.
"So why didn't the president just say that?" Morgan asked. "Why didn't he just say rather than making this bold promise to sell his plan, why didn't he just be honest?"
Pallone responded, "We have to look at this from a practical point of view," drawing more derision from Morgan.
"What about telling the truth? What about telling the American people the truth?" he asked.
Blackburn was given the last word.
"What we know is that their numbers don't work and individuals have been able to buy insurance or employers able to offer insurance that suited the needs of families, and they have been pleased with their insurance, and to be so insulting to people to say, 'Oh, the insurance you've had was a scam,'" she said. "The president should never have gone out and said that and continued to say it."
Pallone interrupted, and Morgan ended the interview with a note of sarcasm.
"We'll continue this debate, I'm sure, as the excuses get ever more ludicrous," he said.