Knight Backs Bill To Preserve Protections For Pre-Existing Conditions

Congressional Documents & Publications

Rep. Steve Knight (CA-25) cosponsored a bill introduced this week that would prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to individuals based on a pre-existing medical condition in the event that portions of the Affordable Care Act are repealed.

H.R. 1121, the Pre-Existing Conditions Protection Act, was introduced by Representative Greg Walden (OR-2), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill aims to achieve three important goals for patients: guaranteed access to coverage, a prohibition on pre-existing condition benefit exclusions, and a ban on premium rating based off of health status.

"We need healthcare policy that provides individuals and families with access to quality and affordable health insurance, and an essential part of that is maintaining protections for people with pre-existing conditions," said Knight. "I am proud to join Chairman Walden and my colleagues in the House in introducing this critical piece of legislation."

The Affordable Care Act, also known as the ACA or Obamacare, established similar protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions when it was signed into law in 2010. Rep. Knight, who supports repairing the ACA by repealing the portions that are causing premiums to rise across the country while improving on the successful parts of the policy, identifies the Pre-Existing Conditions Protection Act as a large step forward.

"The topic of pre-existing conditions comes up often in our tele-town halls, surveys, and meetings with members of the community, and I've heard the concerns loud and clear," continued Knight. "We must repair our healthcare system to make it work for all Americans, but that does not mean getting rid of recent changes to healthcare policy that are in now in place and working. The Pre-Existing Conditions Protection Act will make that guarantee for one of those critical changes."