- HHS Kathleen Sebelius
According to a report to be released Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services, there are around 129 million Americans under the age of 65 who have a pre-existing condition that will allow insurance companies to deny them care, or even drop their policy all together.
The report comes at a time when the Republican controlled House of Representatives are introducing legislation to repeal President Obama’s signature Health Care Reform bill, signed into law in March of 2010. The repeal is mainly to appease the Teaparty and their base supporters, as the measure will not pass the Democratic controlled Senate. And in the unlikely event that the repeal passes the House and Senate, President Obama has said it will be vetoed.
As reported by The Washington Post, the study found that one-fifth to one-half of non-elderly people in the United States have conditions that trigger rejection or higher prices in the individual insurance market. These conditions range from cancer to heart disease, asthma and high blood pressure.
A Republican aide calls the release of the report “political,” suggesting that it is an attempt to influence the repeal vote in the House of Representatives. Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius told the Post, “Americans living with pre-existing conditions are being freed from discrimination in order to get the health coverage they need.”
Not if House Speaker John Boehner and his Republican allies get their way!
Related articles
- Study: 129 million have preexisting conditions – Washington Post (news.google.com)
- Kristin teh Goth: Government finds up to half of Americans under 65 have preexisting conditions (washingtonpost.com)
- Democrats seek redo of health pitch (politico.com)
