Will Walker Follow Trump and Allow Wisconsin to Expand Sale of Health Plans That Don’t Cover Pre-Existing Conditions?

MADISON, Wisconsin, Oct. 22 -- The Wisconsin Democratic Party issued the following news:

Today, the Trump administration announced it will take steps to expand the sale of health insurance plans that do not cover pre-existing conditions. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, states will have the choice to allow the 'skimpier' plans to be sold in their states, increasing the availability of coverage that doesn't protect people with pre-existing conditions:

The Trump administration Monday took new steps to broaden the availability of health plans that don't have to cover patients' preexisting medical conditions, signaling that the federal government would support state proposals to promote more sales of these skimpier plans.

The obvious question for Scott Walker is this: will he allow plans that don't cover pre-existing conditions to be sold in Wisconsin?

He's floated a similar idea before. Last year, Walker said he would considerletting insurers hike rates on people with pre-existing conditions when Republicans were trying to pass Graham-Cassidy. And with Walker's approval, Wisconsin is still part of the lawsuit that seeks to undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Just today, Walker said suing to undermine the coverage is the "right thing."

"Scott Walker has worked to undermine pre-existing conditions protections in Wisconsin for years," said DPW spokesperson Alex Japko. "Now, Trump has given Walker a new way to attack Wisconsinites' health care and they deserve to know if the governor is going to further put their coverage in jeopardy. More than two million Wisconsinites have a pre-existing condition and they want to know if Scott Walker is going to threaten their coverage once again."

Walker has an opportunity to stand up to Trump on this issue when he is in Wisconsin on Wednesday.