Desperate Obamacare apologists, acting like the bitter gun and religion clingers that haunt their nightmares, are claiming that this LA Times article by Michael Hiltzik “debunks” the “myth” that people are losing their current health care plans and being forced into more expensive insurance. Here are the basics of Ms. Deborah Cavallaro’s Obamacare story:

…she’s angry at President Obama for having promised that people who like their health plans could keep them, when hers is getting canceled for not meeting Obamacare’s standards… Her current plan, from Anthem Blue Cross, is a catastrophic coverage plan for which she pays $293 a month as an individual policyholder…As for a replacement plan, she says she was quoted $478 a month by her insurance broker, but that’s a lot more than she’ll really be paying… I won’t divulge her current income, which is personal, but this year it qualifies her for a hefty federal premium subsidy… she’s eligible for a good “silver” plan for $333 a month after the subsidy — $40 a month more than she’s paying now.

To recap:  Obamacare confused and frustrated a woman who was happy with both her insurance and its cost, forced her to pay $500 more a year for a slightly better plan, and forced the government to kick in an extra $1800 a year to cover the rest. It transformed a content, self-sufficient citizen into an angry, expensive government dependent. Well done, cost-curve-bending maestros.

Conn Carroll at Townhall.com breaks down Hiltzik’s shaky claims in greater detail, but fails to mention one more aspect. Perhaps Ms. Cavallaro took satisfaction out of providing for herself, and isn’t thrilled about now having to accept a government handout to make ends meet. But she no longer has that choice, because Democratic social programs have taken their logical next step – from disincentivizing self-reliance to virtually outlawing it.