Democratic Unity On Obamacare Is Collapsing

Another non-red state Democrat - this time Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) has signed on to become a co-sponsor on legislation from Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) that would require insurance companies to continue offering their existing health care plans.

Merkley joins Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) as surprise Democrats that have become co-sponsors of the bill over the past day. Together, they amount to the most high-profile non-red state Democrat to buck party lines on the Affordable Care Act.

Landrieu announced Merkley's co-sponsorship on Twitter:

BREAKING: @SenJeffMerkley joins growing coalition supporting my targeted bill to keep promise of #ACA & allow ppl to keep their insurance

- Senator Landrieu (@SenLandrieu) November 13, 2013

Among other things, the "Keeping the Affordable Care Act Promise Act" would "grandfather" in all health insurance plans that existed as of Dec. 31, 2013, not March 23, 2010, and force insurance companies to continue to offer a number of plans that they have been forced to cancel under the Affordable Care Act.

Customers in the individual insurance market are finding they cannot keep their current policies if they have changed since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 and don't meet certain minimum requirements of the law. Insurers are even canceling some plans that they are legally entitled to continue offering because the law changes the economics of doing so.

The other co-sponsors of the bill are red-state Democratic Sens. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.). Like those three (but not Feinstein) Merkley is up for re-election next year.