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Roskam: “Can you understand the level of frustration?”

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam Roskam questioned Medicare chief Marilyn Tanner at a committee hearing Tuesday over a Hoffman Estates woman who won't be allowed to keep the same health insurance terms she previously had as the Affordable Care Act takes effect.

President Barack Obama had said Americans can keep their existing health care coverage even after the new health care law kicks in Jan. 1, but that won't be true for many people who buy insurance privately outside of an employer's plan.

Roskam, a Wheaton Republican, pointed to Diane Isser of Hoffman Estates, an 11-year breast cancer survivor whose insurer says her rates could nearly double at the end of the year.

“Can you understand the level of frustration and concern about what many Americans perceived to be a false claim from the administration?” Roskam said.

Isser, 57, said she'll need to look at her options to decide what to do next.

“What part of this is affordable, actually?” she said.

Democrats say the law will help families find and afford insurance and the party attacked Republicans for trying to tie the national health care law to budget talks that led to the federal government shutdown.

But the law's rollout has been plagued with website problems as many people trying to sign up have found Healthcare.gov tough to use.

“I want to apologize to you that the website has not worked as well as it should,” Tavenner said at the hearing.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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