This Change to the GOP Healthcare Bill Will Leave Some Americans Penniless

Jon Economy, Government, Health Care, Market Commentary, Politics

President Donald Trump’s tall promises about the new GOP healthcare bill expected this week ring hollow when you look at what the bill does.
He told ‘Face the Nation’ yesterday (Sunday) that the newest amendment to the controversial legislation shows the plan has ‘evolved,’ before adding that it will cover pre-existing conditions ‘beautifully.’
But there’s one yuge problem with Trump’s ‘beautiful’ and ‘evolved’ new healthcare bill…
The GOP Healthcare Bill Actually Hurts the Chronically Ill
It’s true that the latest amendment to the Republican healthcare bill would preserve the federal rule requiring insurers to cover pre-existing conditions.
But what the change doesn’t preserve is the federal rule banning insurers from charging higher premiums to a core group of chronically sick individuals – those who have experienced a lapse in coverage.
Nearly one-third of Americans with pre-existing conditions have experienced a gap in coverage over a two-year period due to job changes, other life transitions, or periods of financial difficulty, according to an April 27 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

This post was published at Wall Street Examiner on May 1, 2017.