Nov. 28, 2018
Dive
Brief:
- Nearly
seven in 10 voters (68%), regardless of political party affiliation,
believe people with pre-existing health conditions should have access to
coverage without paying more, according to a survey conducted
just before and during the midterm Congressional elections by the American
Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).
- The study,
which surveyed 2,400 voters and was released Tuesday, also found 82% don't
think insurance companies should be able to charge higher prices to sicker
customers, 90% would be "concerned" (and 78% would be
"very concerned") if pre-existing conditions were no longer
required to be covered by insurance.
- Healthcare defined the midterms,
with a majority of voters nationally reporting it as a key issue in
deciding how to cast their ballots. Pre-existing conditions played a large
role, and public pressure coerced many candidates to come out in support
of protecting coverage regardless of their past voting record. The
pressure didn't come out of nowhere, either. Almost half of the
people surveyed by ACS CAN either have — or have a family member who
has — a pre-existing medical condition.
Dive
Insight:
The
2018 Congressional midterms was the first time since the economic downturn of
2008 that the economy wasn't the most important topic for voters. It was
usurped by healthcare, which was the leading issue for voters, (27% according
to the ACS CAN survey), following by immigration (25%), the economy and
jobs (19%), government dysfunction (19%) and education (15%).
"These
numbers clearly illustrate what voters expect when lawmakers commit to uphold
pre-existing condition protections," Chris Hansen, president of ACS
CAN, said in a statement accompanying the report. "Voters understand that
simply prohibiting insurers from denying coverage based on your health status
alone isn't enough."
The
Affordable Care Act brought pre-existing condition protection into law in 2010.
But the Trump administration has consistently undermined the ACA, most recently
by expanding access to skimpy short-term and association health plans that
aren't required to cover pre-existing conditions.
And
a Texas lawsuit could potentially wipe out those protections altogether, though
the judge has yet to release his decision.
Many speculated he was waiting until after the midterms due to the political
cost of striking down the ACA.
ACS
CAN found "strong support" for protecting pre-existing
conditions across all demographics and party affiliations. Three-quarters of
Democrats and 59% of Republicans defined coverage for pre-existing conditions as
getting the same amount of medical coverage without paying more.
As
the lawsuit languishes in the Lone Star State, Senate Republicans introduced a bill in
mid-August that purports to maintain coverage in case pre-existing condition
protection is lost. But the proposal isn't as strong as the ACA, critics say,
and the midterms were a harsh reckoning for Republicans when it comes to healthcare.
The party lost 39 seats in the House alone.
A
soft majority of voters agreed that things are "better than they used to
be" in American healthcare but continue to worry that proposed changes
will make pre-existing condition coverage out of reach. If pre-existing
condition protections are lost, about 102 million Americans would
be put at risk of steep premiums or exclusion from coverage, according to
Avalere.
"We
hope these results resonate with elected officials at the federal and state
levels as they consider how to strengthen our nation’s health care
system," Hansen said.
The
poll weighted its initial survey data to reflect Congressional vote as reported
in the 2018 exit polls, and was fielded by Lake Research Partners, a public
opinion and political strategy research company, and Republican strategic
research firm The Tarrance Group.
https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/almost-70-of-voters-support-protection-for-pre-existing-conditions/543124/
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