Sarbanes Votes to Pass the Protecting Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today voted to pass the Protecting Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Act (H.R. 986), a bill to prevent the Trump Administration from weakening critical protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions. 

“While the Trump Administration continues its assault on the American health care system and ramps up its efforts to deny access to affordable and quality care, House Democrats will keep fighting to protect and expand coverage so that all Americans – regardless of their medical conditions – can receive the care, treatment and services that they deserve,” said Congressman Sarbanes.

On October 22, 2018, the Trump Administration issued new guidance allowing states to offer “short-term, limited-duration” insurance plans, which discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions and fail to cover essential benefits. The Administration’s guidance even allows states to use federal taxpayer dollars to subsidize the purchase of these junk plans. H.R. 986 would rescind this guidance and prohibit any similar future guidance from being proposed.

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives also passed two bipartisan bills, H.R. 1503 and H.R. 1520, which will help reduce the price of prescription drugs by removing barriers and allowing more affordable generic versions of brand-name drugs to come to market.

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