Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
World
Al Jazeera News

#IAmAPreexistingCondition: US healthcare bill condemned

Protesters rallied at Capitol Hill as the House voted on the American Health Care Act [Yuri Gripas/Reuters]

The Republican push to replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, has raised special concern among one group of Americans - those with pre-existing conditions.

In insurance language, that means diseases, injuries or conditions that affected a patient before he or she got a health insurance policy.

Obamacare banned insurers from charging risk premiums based on pre-existing conditions. Before the law, people with such conditions could be denied health insurance coverage, or be charged very high premiums. 

This could be about to change, as the American Health Care Act bill is headed to the Senate.

After the House of Representatives  narrowly passed the bill,  people took to Twitter to talk about their pre-existing conditions and fears of losing health coverage.

One controversial part of the Republican-drafted bill is the "MacArthur amendment", which would give states the chance to seek a waiver from the requirement that insurers charge customers with pre-existing conditions the same as those without.

As compensation, a pool of money would be set aside to help people with pre-existing conditions afford coverage - but critics say that amount is far from enough.

"The bill allows insurance companies to refuse to cover those with pre-existing conditions, or charge them more for coverage, meaning that conditions ranging from asthma to pregnancy to cystic fibrosis could completely devastate a family financially and leave those who need care unable to access it," the American Academy of Pediatrics said.

 

Some social media users were angered by Republican Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks' comments implying that people with pre-existing conditions simply are not living their lives "the right way".  

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.