President Obama may have promised Americans that they can keep their insurance if they like it , but that 's not the case in at least three states where insurance companies are required to discontinue plans that do n't meet Obamacare 's new coverage standards . Virginia , Kentucky and Idaho have told insurance companies that they must scrap insurance plans that do n't meet the minimum coverage requirements laid out in the Affordable Care Act . Some states allow insurers to amend their current plans to include the new benefits , such as maternity care and prescription drug coverage , required under Obamacare . But these three states have determined that with so many changes required under Obamacare , it 's easier to start over than to try to bring existing plans into compliance . Ronda Sloan , a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Insurance , explained the policy this way : `` In this case , you 're talking about an entirely new product . They had to file a completely new policy . ... It was easier just to start from scratch . '' That means that about half of the roughly 600,000 people in Kentucky 's private insurance market will have their current insurance plans discontinued by the end of next year . Private insurance only makes up part of the state 's insurance market , which also includes employer-based coverage , and Medicare and Medicaid . Virginia Bureau of Insurance spokesman Ken Schrad said insurance companies could offer customers with discontinued plans similar coverage , but it also has to include the new mandated Obamacare benefits . But , he cautioned , `` it is virtually impossible to compare what you have to what you 're going to have because of all the new provisions . '' Indeed , some people may find the new plans cost more . Others might qualify for subsidies and pay less for their insurance . White House spokesman Jay Carney on Tuesday defended the president 's promise , arguing that anyone who has a plan that predates the Affordable Care Act can keep that plan -- as long as its terms have not changed in the interim . `` The president was clear about a basic fact : If you had insurance that you liked on the individual market , and you wanted to keep that insurance through 2010 , '11 , '12 , '13 and in perpetuity if you wanted it and it was available , you could . You were grandfathered in , '' Carney said at the White House briefing Tuesday . In practice , insurance companies are loath to leave their plans unchanged , so grandfathered plans are disappearing . Numbers for how many grandfathered plans are hard to come by , and insurers do n't seem to be looking back . `` Health plans want to keep their customers . In notifying consumers about changes to their existing coverage , health plans are educating them about their new coverage options , including the benefits and assistance that are available through the new marketplaces , and helping them enroll , '' said Robert Zirkelbach , a spokesman for America 's Health Insurance Plans . But even having to enroll in a new plan could leave some people confused and upset , particularly after the president assured them repeatedly that that would n't be the case .
Virginia , Kentucky and Idaho tell insurers to end non-compliant plans . `` It was easier just to start from scratch , '' rather than fixing old plans , one official says . Comment: White House stand by assertion that customers could keep their insurance plans .