Campaign check: Warnock challenges Loeffler on pre-existing conditions

But her Democratic opponent in the Jan. 5 runoff, Rev. Raphael Warnock, says that isn’t true.

“Loeffler’s proposal would codify into law the junk insurance plans pushed by the Trump Administration, which are not required to cover pre-existing conditions, can impose coverage limits, and allow insurers to keep massive amounts of their profits instead of investing in patients’ health care,” according to a statement on the Warnock for Georgia website.

Americans with pre-existing conditions currently cannot be denied health care coverage or charged more than their peers under the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010.

President Donald Trump has actively sought to overturn the ACA, and Sen. Kelly Loeffler has supported the administration’s efforts.

On Oct. 1, Loeffler voted to allow the Department of Justice to continue its legal battle against the ACA. If the ACA is overturned, there is nothing in place to protect Americans with pre-existing conditions.

Credit: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In November, Sen. Loeffler released a document titled “The Modernizing Americans’ Health Care Plan.” It lists a number of bullet points outlining her positions on health care. Some of those proposals include references to specific legislation the senator has supported.

Loeffler’s plan says she will “ensure Americans with pre-existing conditions are protected.”

However, there are no details or specifics offered to support her claim that she would protect pre-existing conditions. There is no explanation for the senator’s stated support of “guaranteed coverage plans.” Her campaign did not respond to direct questions about what a “guaranteed coverage plan” is or whether it would include price controls, so that the plans wouldn’t price out people with pre-existing conditions.

Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, reviewed Loeffler’s plan at the request of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She said she did not see anything in Loeffler’s plan that would protect people with pre-existing conditions, and that several of her proposals, such as her support for short-term plans, could harm them.

Loeffler’s exact position on pre-existing conditions and “guaranteed coverage plans” are “worth knowing a little more about to know what she’s talking about,” Pollitz said.

Pollitz said nothing in The Modernizing Americans’ Health Care Plan would protect Americans with pre-existing conditions.

“I just don’t see it,” she said.

In response to a list of questions from the AJC and a request for more details, Sen. Loeffler’s campaign issued a brief statement reiterating her support for protecting those with pre-existing conditions and pointing to a non-binding resolution she introduced to that effect, as well as her vote in favor of the Protect Act.

The Protect Act has been put forward as a Republican-backed alternative to the ACA. Experts say it would preserve some but not all of the ACA’s protections. While it would prohibit insurance companies from denying someone coverage based on a pre-existing condition, it would allow annual and lifetime limits on payouts, which could allow coverage to run out for those with pre-existing conditions. It would also allow insurers to exclude some essential health benefits, such as maternity care, and charge higher premiums based on age and sex, which the ACA limits or bans, according to an analysis written Sarah Lueck, senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Priorities.

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