William P. White, who served as the insurance commissioner, has said that he was fired after he publicly criticized and questioned Barack Obama's decision to allow an extension of health policies that do not comply with the federal affordable healthcare law, The Wall Street Journal reported.
White, who was at the helm since 2011, was replaced over the weekend by Chester McPherson, Wall Street Journal also reported. The statement was released by the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking.
Hours after President Obama announced his intentions "to allow the continuation into 2014 of insurance that do not comply with the new rules," White issued a news release. In it, he said the move by the president's "move undercuts" the health-care insurance exchanges where consumers are to buy insurance policies that meet new standards," Wall Street Journal reported.
"If I had to do it all over again, I would be certain my communications spokesman had gotten some sign-off before we got it out there. I was looking at it purely from the standpoint of the marketplace and what needed to be done. The mayor was looking at it from another standpoint. I failed to reconcile those points of view" before sending it out," White said on Monday.
President Barack Obama conceded on Thursday that his administration had "fumbled the rollout on this healthcare law," thehill.com reported.
"There is no doubt our failure to roll out the ACA smoothly has put a burden on Democrats, whether they're running or not, because they stood up and supported this effort through thick and thin. I feel deeply responsible for making it harder for them, rather than easier for them, to continue to promote the core values that led them to support this thing in the first place," said President Obama last Thursday.
