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News Monday, Jun 12 2017

Senate Republicans want to go back on their promises to protect pre-existing conditions

Jun 12, 2017

“Senate Republicans claim that, in secret, they’re making Trumpcare less dangerous – but that’s lipstick on a pig. Here’s the truth: the Senate Trumpcare bill will cause costs for millions of Americans to skyrocket and bring us back to the days when Alzheimer’s patients could be charged more by insurance companies when they are most vulnerable,” said American Bridge Spokesman Joshua Karp.

If Senate Republican Health Bill Weakens Essential Health Benefits Standards, It Would Harm People with Pre-Existing Conditions
By Sarah Lueck | June 12, 2017

  • The Senate bill reportedly allows states to waive essential health benefits (EHB) standards which “would leave many people with pre-existing conditions without access to the benefits they need at an affordable price.”
  • This is a major problem because, “The ACA’s prohibition on annual and lifetime limits — and the requirement for most employer plans to cap enrollees’ out-of-pocket spending each year — are tied to the definition of EHBs.”
  • States that waive EHBs will exist in a world before they existed, where, “in 2011, among people in the individual market: 62 percent had plans that didn’t cover maternity care; 34 percent had plans that didn’t cover substance use treatment; 18 percent had plans that didn’t cover mental health; and 9 percent had plans that didn’t cover prescription drugs.”
  • “Allowing states to waive EHBs means that women could once again be charged more than men since they’d have to pay more for plans with maternity coverage — if they could find them.”
  • “Moreover, if just one state decides to waive EHBs, then large employer plans in every state could return to imposing lifetime and annual limits on coverage as well.” This is because “large employers…are free to decide which state’s EHB definition they want to adopt.”

Read the full analysis here.


Published: Jun 12, 2017

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