Republican activists applaud Mike Braun for pre-existing conditions pledge

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Republican Senate nominee Mike Braun said Tuesday that insurance companies should be forced to cover pre-existing medical conditions, remarks that sparked applause from GOP activists.

Braun was responding to a question from a friendly crowd in Hamilton County, a suburban Republican stronghold north of Indianapolis. That the question was posed, and the group’s reaction, revealed the extent to which voter attitudes on healthcare have shifted in America — even among Republicans who opposed, and still favor repealing, Obamacare.