Republican Senators Wicker-Heller-Barrasso Back Bill That FAILS to Provide Adequate Protection For Those With Pre-Existing Conditions According To 33 Organizations, Including the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, Arthritis Foundation, American Cancer Society, Muscular Dystrophy Association

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Affordable Care, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Barrasso, Elections, health care, Heller, insurance, Misleading campaign ad, Mississippi, Multiple sclerosis, Muscular dystrophy, Nevada, pre-existing conditions, pre-existing medical conditions, Roger Wicker, Tillis, Wicker, Wyoming

Republican Senators Wicker, Heller, Barrasso and other Republicans have recently backed a bill (S.3388) that apparently only pretends to protect access to insurance coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, including muscular dystrophy. This makes Roger Wicker’s recent campaign ad where he claims to care about those with muscular dystrophy highly misleading.

Thirty-three organizations, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the Arthritis Foundation, the American Cancer Society and the American Diabetes Association, write regarding this Republican Bill: “for people with pre-existing conditions, the bill would provide access to” [insurance] “ coverage in name only“. They explain that “the safeguards presented in this legislation fall far short of the patient protections encompassed in existing law. This bill as written is far from an adequate replacement for the protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions that are provided under current law…. We were particularly disappointed that S. 3388 fails to include an outright ban on pre-existing condition exclusions…” https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/get-involved/advocacy/regulatory-comments-and-correspondence-letters/access/091918-tillis-preex-cosponsor-letter–final.pdf

Emphasis our own. Original here: https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/get-involved/advocacy/regulatory-comments-and-correspondence-letters/access/091918-tillis-preex-cosponsor-letter–final.pdf

The 15 Republican Supporters of S. 3388 which is very misleadingly named “Ensuring Coverage for Patients with Pre-Existing Conditions Act“. Those with X are up for re-election on Tuesday:

Sen. Tillis, Thom [R-NC] (Introduced 08/23/2018)
Co-sponsors:
Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN]*
08/23/2018
Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]*
08/23/2018
Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]*
08/23/2018
Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]*
08/23/2018
Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]*
08/23/2018
X Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]*
08/23/2018
Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]*
08/23/2018
X Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV]*
08/23/2018
X Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]*
08/23/2018
Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]
08/27/2018
Sen. Isakson, Johnny [R-GA]
08/28/2018
Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND]
09/04/2018
Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK]
09/04/2018
Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/3388/cosponsors

Republicans up for re-election:
X Barrasso, John (R-WY)
Cruz, Ted (R-TX)
Fischer, Deb (R-NE)
Hatch, Orrin G. (R-UT)
X Heller, Dean (R-NV)
X Wicker, Roger F. (R-MS)
https://www.senate.gov/senators/Class_I.htm
And, interim appointee Hyde-Smith, Cindy (R-MS).