Former Vice President Joe Biden claimed, without evidence, on Tuesday night during the Democrat National Convention (DNC) that Republicans voted to “gut” protections for patients with pre-existing conditions.
Verdict: False. Republican legislation to replace Obamacare would not have “gutted” or eliminated pre-existing conditions.
Biden spoke to a woman named Laura on Tuesday who recovered from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Biden said during her treatment that “Trump was trying to rip away your coverage, the day you got your first chemo, Republicans voted to gut the ACA.”
However, despite Biden’s claim, neither President Donald Trump nor congressional Republicans have supported legislation that would have removed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) protections for patients with pre-existing conditions.
For instance, Trump noted in his first address to Congress that the first principle behind replacing Obamacare would be to “ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage.”
The first significant legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare in the Trump era, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), did not repeal protections for preexisting conditions and even included additional spending for those with preexisting conditions.
The second major Obamacare replacement bill, the Graham-Cassidy legislation, would have allowed for states to design their own healthcare plans while allowing for protections for pre-existing conditions.
Because Republicans did not have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, Republicans would have been unable to pass any legislation that would alter ACA statutes protecting pre-existing conditions.
Further, some Republican senators such as Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) have introduced legislation that would protect those with preexisting conditions should the Supreme Court strike down former President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare bill.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a doctor, said that Democrats have continued to defend Obamacare’s expensive health insurance. Republican proposals such as Graham-Cassidy would have lowered health insurance premiums by roughly 20 percent.
In contrast with Democrats, Cassidy told Breitbart News, “We’re about lowering costs, while protecting pre-existing conditions so that middle-class families actually have health insurance.”
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
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