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Latta votes against bill that has nothing to do with pre-existing conditions

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) today voted against the poorly named Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 (H.R. 986). Under the guise of protecting people with pre-existing conditions, this legislation would strip away states’ ability to innovate in their health care systems.


The innovation waivers targeted in this misnomer of a bill were created under the Obama administration, and have been successfully utilized by states -- including states led by Democrats -- to lower premiums. At no point could these waivers be used to deny people coverage due to pre-existing conditions, which Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma further reaffirmed this week.


“I support protecting people with pre-existing conditions and have voted for legislation to do just that,” says Latta. “What I cannot support is a misleading bill that puts a greater burden on our states and our already struggling health care system. If we want to decrease costs, increase access, and protect people with pre-existing conditions, we need health care solutions that encourage innovation -- not punish it.”


Latta is a cosponsor of Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR)’s bill, the Pre-existing Conditions Protection Act of 2019, which prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage due to a pre-existing condition. He voted for and was an original cosponsor of this same legislation as part of the American Health Care Act in 2017.

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