Trump Seeks to Remove Insurance Imperative for Pre-existing Conditions

The story

• The Trump administration has joined a lawsuit that aims to overturn parts of the Affordable Care Act that require insurers to cover pre-existing conditions and not charge more for them.
• The case, brought by Texas and several other conservative states, argues that because Congress repealed the ACA’s individual mandate penalty in its latest tax bill, the mandate is now unconstitutional, and so therefore is the rest of the law.
• The Trump administration took a slightly narrower view, saying that while the pre-existing condition provisions should now be found unconstitutional, the rest of the law should stand, including its massive Medicaid expansion.

Why it matters

• Polling shows that protections for people with pre-existing conditions are the most popular part of the law, with even a majority of Republicans in favor.
• Federal law has long provided such protection for people with employer-sponsored health benefits; the ACA extended it to people shopping independently for insurance. As the gig economy continues to grow, an increasing number of people lack access to traditional, employer-sponsored health plans.
• As many as 130 million adults under age 65 in the United States have pre-existing conditions.
• While the lawsuit must make its way through the courts, some insurance plans are already hiking premiums on their ACA plans by 30 percent or more in the face of uncertainty about the ACA’s future.

What do you think?

Is health care a privilege or a right? Should people with preexisting conditions be guaranteed the same insurance coverage as those without? Hit Take Action, then share your thoughts below.

—Sara E. Murphy

(Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force)