Grassley Pushes Back On Political Stunts That Hurt Health Care Consumers

Statement

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released the following statement regarding the Trump administration's guidance on the Affordable Care Act's 1332 waivers.

"Using misinformation and outright lies to scare patients about their health care is unacceptable. Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act allows states to apply for waivers from some requirements of the law. During the Obama administration, the guidance for the 1332 waivers did nothing to allow states to innovate for improving insurance coverage for citizens. That's why the state of Iowa did not finalize their application for a 1332 waiver. This waiver would've allowed 20,000 Iowans access to more affordable insurance," Grassley said.

"These waivers provide states the ability to provide health insurance to individuals who otherwise might not be able to afford it. Democrats say they want to improve the ACA, but their actions Wednesday show they're not serious. They believe in government-run health care and that they know what you need better than you. This is political rhetoric at its worst."

The Trump administration released the State Innovation Waiver guidance in October of 2018 and provided states with needed flexibility to expand choices of coverage and meet the unique circumstances of each state. Yet, political opponents of President Trump still falsely claim that this guidance repeals coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Despite these false claims, under the law, 1332 waivers cannot waive the protections for people with pre-existing conditions. That is explicitly forbidden. These waivers do not allow states to waive the ACA preexisting condition protections and they don't allow health insurers to refuse coverage or charge more because of preexisting conditions.

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