Rep. Herrera Beutler in Support of Cutting Health Care For Over 654,000 Washingtonians and Gutting Protections for People With Preexisting Conditions
Then, the Congresswoman voted against bipartisan legislation to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, lower health insurance premiums, expand coverage, and allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices
Vancouver, WA — Last week, opening briefs were filed in a lawsuit that Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler supports to fully eliminate the Affordable Care Act. If successful, this lawsuit would directly end health insurance for over 23 million Americans — and more than 654,00 Washingtonians — including many people who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 crisis. It would also end one of the law’s key provisions — prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage on the basis of preexisting conditions. It is also worth noting that COVID-19 will be considered a preexisting condition, and without the ACA,“people who recovered from COVID-19 and tried to purchase an individual health insurance policy could be turned down, charged higher premiums or have follow-up care excluded from coverage.” With all of this in mind, Congresswoman Herrera Beutler still voted to support the lawsuit to repeal the ACA.
Then, yesterday, she voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, a bill that would lower health coverage costs, negotiate lower prescription drug prices, and expand coverage for those who need it most. Rep. Herrera Beutler claims she wants to protect people with preexisting conditions, but every step of the way, she has moved towards eviscerating the only protections in place without offering a replacement.
These votes are unsurprising, considering it’s a position the Congresswoman has held for a long time — boasting that she proudly “voted more than 80 times to repeal the ACA” — but it is incredibly dangerous nonetheless. In the middle of a global pandemic, Rep. Herrera Beutler is supporting a radical upending of our health care system that would leave millions of Americans without coverage and gut protections for people with preexisting conditions.
“It is unfathomable that D.C. politicians — supported by Rep. Herrera Beutler — are fighting to take health care away from over 654,000 Washingtonians and strip protections from people with preexisting conditions with no plan for a replacement,” said Carolyn Long. “Then, our Congresswoman voted against a bipartisan bill that would lower health insurance premiums, allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, and expand coverage for Washingtonians who need it most in the middle of this pandemic.”
“This pandemic has made it more urgent than ever for us to protect and expand access to quality, affordable health care for the people in our communities. In Southwest Washington, it has also become clearer than ever that we must do more to support our rural hospitals. This lawsuit and yesterday’s vote against increased health care protections move us in the wrong direction on every one of these issues — and our Congresswoman’s position is putting far too many people at risk.”
###
