Fred Upton, former Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, says he has informed the GOP leadership that he cannot support the revised GOP health care bill, because it would allow states to waive the current law's protections preventing people with from being charged more based on their health, if certain conditions are met to provide coverage in high-risk pools.
"I've supported the practice of not allowing pre-existing illnesses from being discriminated against from the very get-go," Upton said. "This amendment torpedoes that. And I told leadership I cannot support this bill with this provision in it."
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On Monday, Rep. Billy Long said he would also vote no on the bill because of the amendment.
Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday said at a press conference that the revised bill still had layers of protection for those with pre-existing conditions, including high-risk pools and protections from higher premiums for people if they had no gaps in coverage, according to another article in The Hill.
Rep. Luke Messer a member of GOP leadership, said after the meeting that part of what the GOP leadership has to do is to more clearly articulate to holdouts how the bill protects those with pre-existing conditions.
"We want to bring the bill forward when we have the votes — we're very close," Messer said.
A Reuters article says that some Republican lawmakers are concerned the amendment and other key provisions of the revised bill would result in a spike in the number of people without coverage or sharp increases in insurance premiums.
"They're still talking about possible changes. If they don't have the votes, then they'll have to make changes," Rep. Peter King, a Republican moderate, told reporters, indicating he would likely vote for the bill.
However, Rep. Dave Brat, a Freedom Caucus member, told reporters any tack to the center to shore up moderates' support threatens to spur defections on the Republican right flank.
"They change it one iota, I'm out," Brat said.
Ten major patient advocacy groups, including the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association, have said they opposed the reworked health care bill, according to Reuters. Other major medical groups such as the American Medical Association have also expressed concerns over coverage losses and unaffordable insurance for those with pre-existing conditions.
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Katie Kuehner-Hebert
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.
