Trump and Texas Move to Undo Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions

FEATURING PAUL SONG – The Trump Administration has decided to not fight a legal challenge from states against the Affordable Care Act. The unusual move underscores this government’s antagonism toward rules that were meant to protect millions of Americans from being gouged by health insurance companies. When Congress removed the individual penalty for not buying health insurance last year as part of the tax reform plan, lawmakers essentially removed a key provision of the Obamacare law.

That has now laid the groundwork for the latest lawsuit that claims other Obamacare protections are unconstitutional and should be overturned. Chief among those remaining protections is the universally popular ban on using so-called “pre-existing conditions” of patients as a basis for denying coverage or raising the cost of premiums.

The latest available data estimates that up to 133 million or 51% of the non-elderly American population may be considered to have a pre-existing condition. And up to 84% of those aged 55 to 64 have at least one pre-existing condition.

Paul Song is the Healthcare Correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali. He is also a board-certified radiation oncologist. He is co-chair of the Campaign for a Healthy California, and is on the board of Physicians for a National Health Program, and People for the American Way.