(UPDATE-message from Sen. Dianne Feinstein below) Political pundits are calling it “Ground Hog Day” as today the House of Representatives once again tries to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.” On Monday, during a House Rules Committee debate, California Republican Rep. David Dreier said insurance companies should be allowed to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions – including brain tumors:
“And I believe my state of California has a structure in place to deal with pre-existing conditions. It’s a pooling process, which I think is one worthy of consideration, because while I don’t that think someone who is diagnosed with a massive tumor should the next day be able to have millions and millions and millions of dollars in health care provided, I do believe that there can be a structure to deal with the issue of pre-existing conditions.”
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent an email message to Democratic supporters calling for a public challenge to the House through her re-election campaign Dianne2012:
When the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, millions of Californians benefited immediately. Young people were able to stay on their parents’ coverage. Insurance companies were forced to stop denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Illness was no longer grounds for losing your coverage.
But House Republicans are intent on repealing the Affordable Care Act — stripping Californians of the benefits they’ve already received and blocking the benefits still to come.
The Supreme Court’s decision cemented the reality of affordable health care access for middle class Americans everywhere. Here in California, it means that 4.5 million more people will gain access to affordable insurance. It means that more than 500,000 small businesses will keep tax credits for insuring their workers. It means that seniors will continue to receive the help they need to cover their medical costs, and nearly 200,000 young people will be able to stay on their parents’ health insurance. But if House Republicans succeed in repealing the Affordable Care Act, those benefits will be gone. And rather than continuing to improve our health care system, we’ll be right back to the days when insurance companies ran the show and middle class families suffered the consequences.
Our work is not done. But one thing’s certain — we cannot afford to go backward. I hope you join me in the fight to protect access to affordable health care today.
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