Protection for those with pre-existing conditions is an important part of the American Health Care Act, and any claims otherwise is misinformation, Republican Tom Reed said Monday. Reed, who voted for the House legislation, faced angry constituents in a town hall in his…
Protection for those with pre-existing conditions is an important part of the American Health Care Act, and any claims otherwise is “misinformation, ” Republican Tom Reed said Monday.
Reed, who voted for the House legislation, faced angry constituents in a town hall in his home state of New York over the weekend.
“When you read the bill and study the bill, [all] 300 pages, the pre-existing conditions guarantee issue is a cornerstone of reform, ” Reed told CNN’s “New Day” program. “With the waiver opportunity, it only gets better, as I read the bill and text.”
During his town hall meeting, Reed was booed after an exchange with a teenager, born with Type I diabetes, who asked him how he could vote for a bill to “take away mine and millions of others guarantees of being discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition.”
“The fact is that the pre-existing conditions is in the bill will continue and you have access to health insurance as you do today, ” Reed told the teen, and on Monday he doubled down on his comment.
“I have a son who is a Type 1 diabetic, ” Reed told CNN’s Chris Cuomo. “I care deeply about the individual and millions of others in the same situation.”
Further, he explained that people who maintain continuous coverage won’t have trouble being covered for pre-existing conditions.
“You know that many people don’t maintain coverage, ” Cuomo argued. “It’s expensive. Life is hard. They drop it for months at a time. That would make them vulnerable if a state took a waiver. We both know companies, given an option, will not cover pre-existing conditions if they are told they don’t have to. Why ignore those possibilities?”
Reed said lawmakers need to provide for flexibility at the state level, as “one size doesn’t fit all. It doesn’t work under Obamacare.”
Cuomo further argued that plans to pull money away from the healthcare system would not improve coverage, but Reed disagreed.
“The other side assumes putting money in the system solves the problem, ” said Reed. “I believe in flexibility and innovation in the market … that allows the dollars to be more efficient and provide access to care to millions that don’t have it today. “
