Rep. Davis Introduces Health Care Bill Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Jan. 30 -- Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill. (13th CD), issued the following news release:

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today at a press conference at the airport in Bloomington announced the introduction of his health care bill (H.R. 628) to protect people with pre-existing conditions from discrimination against insurance companies. Davis is pushing for H.R. 628 to be part of the larger legislation to replace Obamacare.

"My wife Shannon would not be here today without access to the doctors and treatments that allowed her to fight and win her battle with colon cancer nearly 20 years ago," said Davis. "I want all Americans to have access to affordable health care but right now that's not the case for many under Obamacare. Deductibles have risen to the point where millions of Americans have insurance they can't afford to use, premiums that triple mortgage payments, and Obamacare has limited access to doctors, hospitals, and insurance plans. In addition to increasing competition and passing reforms that reduce costs, we must ensure protections remain for people with pre-existing conditions. I've introduced this bill to share the stories of people in my district who fear losing their insurance because of a pre-existing condition. Republicans have said we do not want to pull the rug out from anyone and this bill will ensure Americans who have cancer or other illnesses are protected."

Republicans in Congress are working to draft legislation using the 37-page health care plan included in the A Better Way agenda.

A Better Way highlights include:

* Make support for health insurance portable. For people without access to employer coverage, Medicare, or Medicaid, our plan offers a refundable tax credit to help buy health insurance in the individual market. This is support you can use as you move from job to job, and into your retirement years. In fact, the credit is age-adjusted, so it grows as you get older.

* Preserve employer-based insurance. For the 155 million Americans who get health care through work, our plan caps the open-ended tax break on employer-based premiums. This will help keep premiums low, and is a far cry from Obamacare's controversial "Cadillac tax" that the law's architects admit is a tax on workers.

* Allow sales across state lines. Our plan allows you to purchase a plan licensed in another state, a step towards making the insurance market more competitive, and giving you the power to shop broadly for more affordable policies.

* Allow small businesses and individuals to band together. Instead of hitting them with even more mandates, our plan allows small businesses and individuals to band together through new pooling mechanisms to increase their purchasing power so they can negotiate with insurers for lower prices.

* Enact real medical liability reform. Instead of preserving a status quo that costs our health care system as much as $300 billion each year, our plan establishes reasonable limits and ensures plaintiffs can recover full medical costs.

Facts about Obamacare:

* 45 to 55 percent premium increases for 2017 in Illinois.

* Deductibles have increased 64 percent nationwide.

* 31 million people can't afford to use the insurance they have.

* 7 counties (McHenry, Lake, Kendall, Grundy, Madison, St. Clair and Monroe) have only one insurance provider and 75 percent of Illinois have one or two options for providers.

* 1.4 million plans were cancelled.

* 1 in 4 people in Illinois are on Medicaid due to the expansion.

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