U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) took to the Senate floor today to highlight a number of Virginians with pre-existing conditions who will be affected if the Senate neglects to overturn a Trump Administration waiver rule that destabilizes our health insurance market, weakens protections for Americans with preexisting conditions, and increases costs for millions Americans with quality health plans.
Today’s floor speech comes in advance of a move by Sen. Warner, who will use a legislative maneuver to force an up-or-down vote in the Senate next week, putting every Senator on the record as to whether they stand with Americans with pre-existing conditions, or with the Trump Administration in its effort to undermine our nation’s health care system.
“For the last three years, this President has used every tool at his disposal to try to undermine the ACA. He tried to repeal it twice through Congress. When that failed, the Administration joined a lawsuit that would strike down the ACA with no plan to replace it. The truth is, this Administration is unfortunately actively working to destabilize the insurance market,” Sen. Warner said on the Senate floor. “One way the Administration is attempting to undermine the ACA is with these so-called “short-term” plans. Thanks to this administration, these “junk” plans allow insurance companies to once again discriminate against Americans with preexisting conditions. Make no mistake: these plans are a threat to the stability of the insurance market and to every American with a pre-existing condition.”
“Madam President, I fear some members of this body have forgotten what it was like before the Affordable Care Act when an unexpected surgery or a diagnosis of a chronic illness could mean a one-way ticket out of the middle class. Unfortunately, this is not a hypothetical. Recently one of my constituents, a man named Jesse, received a $230,000 medical bill for his back surgery. Unbeknownst to him he had purchased a plan that he thought would cover this, but this plan was unfortunately a junk plan that considered his back injury as a pre-existing condition,” he continued. “Jesse is one of the more than 3 million Virginians with a preexisting medical condition. I’ve got three daughters. Two of my three daughters have pre-existing medical conditions that would not be covered under these junk plans. And today I want to share some of those stories to remind my colleagues of what real people will face if we allow this Administration to continue dismantling these protections that folks count on.”
In July, Sen. Warner led the entire Democratic caucus in introducing the Protect Pre Existing Conditions Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution, which, if approved, would roll back a Trump Administration waiver rule that undermines our nation’s health care law and threatens protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. Last month, Sen. Warner successfully filed a discharge petition to bring the CRA resolution to the floor for a vote.
The Trump Administration’s waiver rule currently gives states the green light to use taxpayer dollars to push “junk plans” – bare-bones plans that don’t meet federal consumer protections and therefore raise premiums for quality insurance plans, increasing costs for older Americans and people with pre-existing conditions who need comprehensive coverage. Additionally, under these junk plans, insurance companies can charge people more if they have a pre-existing condition, or refuse to cover specific benefits or deny them coverage altogether.
Congressional Review Act resolutions exercise Congress’ authority to review and overturn rules implemented by the executive branch. Unlike other legislation on the Senate floor, a Congressional Review Act resolution only needs a simple majority to pass and can be brought to the Senate floor for a vote with 30 signatures.
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