Would private insurance become illegal under Dem health care bill?

According to the Investor's Business Daily, it would. (Hat tip: RedState.)

When we first saw the paragraph Tuesday, just after the 1,018-page document was released, we thought we surely must be misreading it. So we sought help from the House Ways and Means Committee.

It turns out we were right: The provision would indeed outlaw individual private coverage. Under the Orwellian header of “Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage,” the “Limitation On New Enrollment” section of the bill clearly states:

“Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day” of the year the legislation becomes law.

So we can all keep our coverage, just as promised — with, of course, exceptions: Those who currently have private individual coverage won’t be able to change it. Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers.

RedState blogger Dan Perrin adds:

So why would the Dems make individual health insurance illegal?

To force everyone into government run health care, of course.

President Obam’s promise of “if you like your health plan, you can keep it” is a complete lie.

Is it any wonder that 10 Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee have told Chairman Waxman to go pound sand?