Alexander Statement on Texas Obamacare Court Case
“There’s no way Congress is going to repeal protections for people with pre-existing conditions who want to buy health insurance.
WASHINGTON, June 12, 2018 — U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the Senate’s health committee, today released the following statement on the Justice Department’s legal brief filed in a Texas lawsuit in federal court about the constitutionality of the pre-existing condition protections in the Affordable Care Act after Congress repealed the individual mandate penalty:
“There’s no way Congress is going to repeal protections for people with pre-existing conditions who want to buy health insurance. The Justice Department argument in the Texas case is as far-fetched as any I’ve ever heard. Congress specifically repealed the individual mandate penalty, but I didn’t hear a single senator say that they also thought they were repealing protections for people with pre-existing conditions. In fact, Republicans are seeking to expand insurance options for Americans with pre-existing conditions through a new Department of Labor rule that will make lower cost employer insurance with patient protections available to the self-employed and more employees of small businesses.”
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