Before the ACA, 43 states let insurers charge more for pre-existing conditions – Graham-Cassidy lets them do it again

The Graham-Cassidy Trumpcare bill would allow states to receive waivers that allow insurers to charge more for people with preexisting conditions. Republicans will try to convince their constituents that their state wouldn't allow that to happen but the fact is, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, before the Affordable Care Act 43 states and the District of Columbia allowed insurers to charge more, including South Carolina, Louisiana, Nevada, Wisconsin, Alaska, and Arizona, just to name a few.

See below from the Kaiser Family Foundation:

"Here's what it looked like when states last made those decisions, before the ACA:

*"43 states and Washington D.C. (http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/individual-market-rate-restrictions-not-applicable-to-hipaa-eligible-individuals/?activeTab=map¤tTimeframe=0&selectedDistributions=rating-allowed-for-health-status&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D) let insurers charge higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions; that is, they did not require full "community rating." That means insurers could increase premiums by unlimited amounts for people with a history of cancer, hypertension, asthma, depression, or other conditions.

*"Even in the seven states that required community rating, benefit standards were generally much weaker than they are today. For example, not all (http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/pre-aca-state-maternity-coverage-mandates-individual-and-small-group-markets/?activeTab=map¤tTimeframe=0&selectedDistributions=mandate-to-cover-or-offer-in-the-individual-market&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D) of these states required coverage of maternity care, not all (http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/pre-aca-state-mandated-benefits-in-the-individual-health-insurance-market-mandated-coverage-in-mental-health/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D) required comprehensive mental health coverage, and almost all (http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/individual-health-insurance-in-the-states.aspx#StateAction) allowed insurers to refuse to cover some of the costs associated with people's pre-existing conditions"

Full KFF report can be found at http://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/individual-market-rate-restrictions-not-applicable-to-hipaa-eligible-individuals/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D