Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Even conservative Republicans can have pre-existing conditions

Conservative Republicans are trying to defend their replacement for Obamacare which would allow states to gut coverage for pre-existing conditions. Right now, Obamacare covers pre-existing conditions. Republican congressman Mo Brooks (Al.) who supports the conservative replacement for Obamacare put it this way:

“It will allow insurance companies to require people who have higher health care costs to contribute more to the insurance pool that helps offset all these costs, thereby reducing the cost to those people who lead good lives, they’re healthy, they’ve done the things to keep their bodies healthy, And right now, those are the people who have done things the right way that are seeing their costs skyrocketing.”

New York Magazine, Cong. Brooks to Jake Tapper of CNN

Let me translate Brooks' comment. Under the GOP plan, insurance companies could charge more in premiums and costs to people who have a pre-existing condition. Brooks implies that these high risk people are less "innocent" than a healthy person and should pay more.

But there are couple of real problems with Brooks' philosophy. One, not everyone with a pre-existing condition caused it through bad behavior. Some people just get cancer without things like smoking. That means even God fearing, clean living conservative Republicans can have a pre-existing condition. Second, it's just plain cruel. People with pre-existing conditions will see their premiums skyrocket. They will lose their health insurance because they can't afford it. And that's going to lead to more people dying.

Stop the cruelty. We need a single payer healthcare plan.

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