A Massive New Lie

As you probably know, the Senate will soon vote on yet another attempt to "replace" the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. The Senate proposal is being hawked like it's an upgrade, but it's actually a very serious downgrade and would cause millions of people to lose their health insurance if passed.

The measure is being called Graham-Cassidy by the media, reflecting the two sponsoring senators. Because of a variety of rules, procedures, traditions, and laws, the Senate must either vote on or table the measure by September 30. If nothing passes by that date, the attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare will be delayed by at least until after the 2018 election.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump tweeted "I would not sign Graham-Cassidy if it did not include coverage of pre-existing conditions. It does! A great Bill. Repeal & Replace."

That is a massive lie.

Under Obamacare, health insurance companies cannot deny you coverage for an individual plan because you have a pre-existing health condition nor can they charge you higher rates. This is just like any employer-paid health insurance plan.

Now comes the big "but." Graham-Cassidy prohibits insurance companies from denying or continuing coverage because of pre-existing conditions, but the proposed bill allows them to charge anything they want for premiums and also to exclude presecriptions (details here).

So you have a pre-existing condition? Sure, we'll cover you. Your premiums will only be $8,000 a month! But you'll have to pay for that $5,000-a-month prescription out of your own pocket.

As a result, the proposed bill makes a joke out of pre-existing coverage. Unless you have affordable premiums, you have no choice but be uninsured.

People living with HIV will be particularly hard hit by this bill if it becomes law. Without health insurance, they may not be able to afford live-saving healthcare and prescriptions. Others with similarly serious medical conditions will also be condemned to misery and death.

Hence, that is Trump's massive lie exposed. He knows Graham-Cassidy is snake oil and he's trying to get people to swallow it.

If you haven't already, call, fax, or tweet your senators immediately and tell them to vote against this horrible bill. If you don't know who they are or their telephone numbers, the Senate directory will give you every name and number you need (link here).