NOTE TO COLORADANS: You can get virtually identical insurance on your state’s Exchange—and continue to receive the same subsidies to pay the premiums that you received THIS year. Really.

More than 22,000 Coloradans were informed in the past month that their health coverage will be canceled at the end of the year, state insurance authorities disclosed this week, a spike in cancellations already roiling the state’s fierce campaigns for the Senate and governor’s seat.

Republican Rep. Cory Gardner, who’s running to unseat Democratic Sen. Mark Udall, pounced on the news as evidence that Obamacare is disrupting coverage for Coloradans and that Udall, who voted for the law, shares in the blame.

It’s unclear, though, if Obamacare is the reason for the latest wave of canceled plans. The cancellations are nearly all the result of a decision by Humana, a major national insurance company, to cancel offerings for people who buy health insurance on their own. About 3,800 were the result of financial instability at a smaller insurer, SeeChange, which offered plans to small businesses.

The sudden surge, however, comes at an inopportune time for Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper and Democratic Sen. Mark Udall, both of whom are fighting for their political lives and have been staunch defenders of the health law. Hickenlooper was one of just more than a dozen governors to build a state-run Obamacare exchange last year.

It’s unclear why Humana canceled policies that covered nearly 18,000 people, but the company is participating in Colorado’s exchange this year, offering plans to consumers who live in Colorado Springs and Denver. Although many insurers have canceled plans that fail to meet the minimum standards of Obamacare, Colorado insurance officials noted that Humana had the opportunity to continue its offerings through 2015. Plans may be canceled for many reasons besides failure to comply with Obamacare, too, they noted.

Health cancellations ripple in Colorado, Kyle Cheney, Politico, today

Hmm.  I no longer expect any Democratic candidate for anything–okay, I can think of three, but only three, exceptions: Gary Peters and Mark Schauer in Michigan, and Kay Hagan in North Carolina–to actually respond clearly and directly on-point to this kind of stuff.  But Udall and Hickenlooper could, theoretically, surprise me by pointing out, first, that almost certainly a high percentage of beneficiaries have been able to afford that policy because of the federal subsidies courtesy of the ACA, and, second, that every single one of these folks will be able to get a similar policy, through the Exchange–and receive the same financial assistance via the ACA that they received this year.

Udall and Hickenlooper won’t, of course, point out these things.  Nor, I guess, will the political-news media, which also could, theoretically.  But I thought I’d mention these theoretical possibilities, anyway.

Aaaaargh.

UPDATE: I just thought of a fourth one: Bruce Braley of Iowa.

SECOND UPDATE: And Rick Weiland of South Dakota!  He’s running aggressively as a liberal.