GOP’s Proposed Bill To Protect Preexisting Conditions Opens Republican Candidates Up To Attack
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) says that with the legislation Republicans are admitting that patients would be harmed by the suit currently in the courts against the health law. Meanwhile, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) spoke out about the proposed bill, saying it doesn't properly address essential benefits protections.
The Hill:
Manchin Uses New GOP ObamaCare Bill To Hit Opponent On Pre-Existing Conditions
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) is using a new bill from Senate Republicans to attack his opponent over ObamaCare’s pre-existing condition protections. Manchin, facing a tough reelection race this year against West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R), is pointing to a new Senate GOP bill that aims to preserve ObamaCare’s pre-existing condition protections as a rebuke to Morrisey’s position in court against those provisions. (Sullivan, 8/27)
Politico Pro:
GOP Pre-Existing Bill Meets Resistance From Collins, Red State Democrats
Sen. Susan Collins on Monday criticized a new GOP health bill for failing to fully protect people with pre-existing conditions — undercutting her fellow Republicans’ claims that the legislation would shield vulnerable Americans if Obamacare is eliminated. (Cancryn, 8/27)
In other health law news —
Chicago Tribune:
Feds Approve Illinois Expansion Of Obamacare Coverage For Opioid Addiction
Illinois consumers who buy health insurance on the state’s Obamacare exchange will get more coverage aimed at treating and preventing opioid addiction, starting in 2020. On Monday, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved Illinois’ request to expand the list of medical services that exchange insurers in Illinois must cover. Most people in Illinois get health insurance through employers or government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, but this year more than 300,000 Illinois residents had insurance through the Obamacare exchange. (Schencker, 8/27)
