WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine on Wednesday requested information from Virginia’s insurance commission on how the push for “junk” health insurance plans is impacting protections for Virginians with preexisting conditions.
The Senators said the “junk plans” are permitted to discriminate against Americans with preexisting conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and cancer, as part of the Trump Administration’s overall effort to undermine the success of the Affordable Care Act and eviscerate protections for people with preexisting conditions.
A rule issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services allows states to ignore federal consumer protections and use taxpayer dollars to subsidize junk insurance plans that cover less and cost more. Additionally, under this rule, states can give insurance companies the green light to discriminate against Americans with preexisting conditions by increasing costs, limiting coverage, or denying coverage altogether.
RELATED: Rep. Luria opposes efforts to remove protections from Virginians with pre-existing conditions
Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Warner, will force a vote on the Senate floor before the end of the month to overturn the Trump Administration’s rule on junk plans and protect people with preexisting conditions.
Sens. Warner and Kaine wrote a letter to State Corporation Commission Commissioners Mark Christie, Judith Williams Jagdmann, and Patricia West.
View the full letter below:
“We have heard concerning reports that individuals nationwide – particularly Americans with preexisting conditions – are unknowingly enrolling in these deceptively marketed junk plans that fail to cover many essential health care services,” wrote the Senators in today’s letter to the State Corporation Commission (SCC).