Social media in the last week has been full of false news and myths about the House-passed health care plan and how it impacts those with pre-existing conditions.
The way Obamacare dealt with pre-existing conditions was to put the higher costs from these plans on all Americans. This is one of the biggest reasons premiums were skyrocketing.
The provisions in the GOP plan only impact the individual market in states that apply for a waiver. The individual market is only 7 percent of all insurance buyers. Of that group, only 4 percent have pre-existing conditions. Under the GOP-passed plan, no insurer can deny someone coverage for pre-existing conditions. Instead of forcing the costs on everyone, the GOP plan puts these individuals in a risk pool and use a $138 billion fund to subsidize those who need help with middle-to-lower incomes.
Whether under Obamacare or the GOP plan, those who are elderly or indigent are already covered by Medicare or Medicaid. The amount of people at risk of higher premiums — meaning they would need to be in a waiver state and on the individual market, and the state hasn’t found other ways to help their costs beyond the fed’s $138 billion fund — then, and only then, would a person maybe see an increase.
Here’s the fundamental question Democrats don’t want to answer: Do the Democrats really want premiums to be more expensive for average Americans to subsidize premiums for wealthy people with pre-existing conditions? Under Obamacare, that’s what is happening.
This hysteria about pre-existing conditions has little to do with caring about people and everything to do with 2018. The GOP plan lowers health insurance costs for average Americans. To distract from this, Democrats have come up with this talking point.
This is their new “Russia”-type distraction.
Now, can the GOP plan be improved in the Senate? Yes. Rand Paul’s plan to create buying groups would significantly lower costs for everyone, especially those with pre-existing conditions.
Red Alert Politics Editor joined Fox News this morning to debate this topic with former Ohio State Senator Capri S Cafaro:
