Washington, DC – As reported by POLITICO, 10 Republican Senators have taken the cynical step of seeking political cover by introducing legislation to enshrine some of the protections for people with pre-existing conditions that are in the Affordable Care Act into HIPAA. The move comes immediately on the heels of the very same Senators – just yesterday – toeing the line on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refusing to allow the Senate to vote on Senator Manchin’s amendment that would support authorizing Senate Legal Counsel to intervene in Texas vs. United States, a pending Trump-GOP lawsuit that would eliminate these very same protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, issued the following statement in response:
“After voting numerous times to undermine protections and raise costs for people with pre-existing conditions, staying silent as the Trump Administration guts these protections by expanding junk plans, and not lifting a finger to stop the the Republican lawsuit that would eliminate them altogether, this bill is just an election year scam from Senate Republicans desperate to hide from their own record. While they campaign on the lie that they want to protect people with pre-existing conditions, Republican Senators on this bill have already acknowledged they want to repeal the Affordable Care Act again if Republicans maintain their majorities next year. If they think they can fool the American people, they’ve got another thing coming.”