Rep. Larson: CT House Delegation Releases New Pre-Existing Conditions Report Showing 168,000 in CT May Lose Coverage or See Premium Increases

HARTFORD, Connecticut, Oct. 31 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release:

Today, Congressman John Larson (CT-01), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04), and Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-05) released the following statements on a new House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Committee report, which shows that 168,000 people in Connecticut could be denied coverage or see drastic premium increases due to the Administration's actions to undermine the Affordable Care Act. By refusing to defend the 2010 law in federal court and failing to offer any alternative proposals to protect individuals, the Trump Administration is putting women, seniors, and those with pre-existing conditions at great risk of losing coverage.

"The Affordable Care Act put in desperately needed protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions such as cancer, asthma, or diabetes, who had previously been charged more for health insurance or outright denied coverage. Those protections reversed a longstanding discriminatory practice that allowed women, to be charged more for health coverage, and reduced premiums for older Americans. Yet, the Republicans who could not repeal the law and never had a real plan to replace it - have now simply chosen to sabotage it. I will continue to fight for patient rights on the Ways and Means Committee to ensure that every person in the First District can get the coverage they need, without discrimination based on age, gender, or pre-existing conditions," said Congressman Larson.

"Guaranteeing access to health care for the millions of Americans living with pre-existing conditions has been one of the most important legislative victories for the American people since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid. It has been lifesaving," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "Yet Republicans have voted more than 70 times to repeal these protections for millions of Americans--including 35,000 in the Third District alone. That is unconscionable. We must continue defending those with pre-existing conditions, as my colleagues and I in the Congress from Connecticut have done every single day. It is the smart thing to do and the right thing to do."

"Despite what Republicans and the Trump Administration may say, their actions clearly demonstrate a disregard for people with pre-existing conditions," said Congressman Courtney. "If Trump is successful, tens of thousands of eastern Connecticut residents would lose their coverage or face premium hikes. We know that full coverage for chronic and pre-existing health conditions can mean the difference between financial stability and bankruptcy, which is why these provisions are among the most important in the ACA. We won't go back to a time when a cancer diagnosis could mean financial ruin, or childhood asthma meant a 50% mark up."

"168,000 people in CT are at risk of losing their coverage including 45,000 in the 4th District alone," said Congressman Himes. "Our delegation will continue to fight to protect Connecticut families against the sustained Republican attacks to strip away their care, especially as those same politicians try to rewrite history about their past efforts to dismantle the entire system. Sick people need help. They need healthcare. Those are our values."

"Everywhere I go in Connecticut, I hear from people who are afraid that they will be collateral damage in the Trump Administration's crusade to undermine the Affordable Care Act," said Congresswoman Esty. "The Affordable Care Act prevents insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, ends lifetime limits on coverage, provides free preventive care, and allows young adults to remain on a parent's insurance until the age of 26. Attempts to undermine the Affordable Care Act puts politics before American lives. Without the Affordable Care Act, people with pre-existing conditions will lose the protection they have and risk facing bankrupting medical bills, as all too many Americans did before the Affordable Care Act. People who are struggling with addiction or mental illness risk not receiving the treatment they need to restore their lives. And parents could once again be forced to make a gut-wrenching choice between keeping their life savings and keeping their child alive. We cannot allow this to happen. I am committed to ensuring that families throughout Connecticut continue to have access to quality, affordable health care."

The Democratic Staff of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's report, "Trump Administration Actions Threaten People with Pre-Existing Conditions," can be found here (https://delauro.house.gov/sites/delauro.house.gov/files/Connecticut%20State-Level%20ACA%20Report.pdf).