Senate Republicans are writing a bill to dismantle the Affordable Care Act behind closed doors — with not a single public hearing. But an outline of the bill emerged last week. And although Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) claimed that the bill is “very cognizant of preexisting conditions,” nothing could be further from the truth. In both the private insurance markets and Medicaid, coverage would be eviscerated for millions of people with preexisting conditions.
It’s true that the Senate outline requires insurers to offer coverage to people with preexisting conditions. And unlike the bill the House passed last month, the Senate outline requires insurers to charge them the same premium as everyone else. But the Senate outline — like the House bill — still allows states to waive coverage of essential health benefits.
The above excerpt was originally published in The Washington Post.
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