NoHLA, along with 55 other organizations, signed on to this Seattle Times Op-Ed that directly disagrees with Washington State Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ Washington Post Op-Ed in which she claims that the AHCA bill would be better for people with disabilities and other pre-existing conditions than the current ACA. The Seattle Times Op-Ed illuminates the differences in how the existing ACA and the AHCA deal with pre-existing conditions. The ACA prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage or charging more for preexisting conditions and provides subsidies for those who can’t afford insurance. Under the AHCA, however, insurance companies could deny or charge more to people with pre-existing conditions and would make it difficult to find or afford insurance. These people would instead by lumped into “high-risk pools” that would not be adequately funded. Thanks to Disability Rights Washington, ARC of Washington, and the Developmental Disabilities Council, for authoring the op-ed.

44,000 Washingtonians qualify for developmental-disabilities services funded almost exclusively by Medicaid. The $20 billion cut to Washington’s Medicaid program we expect under the AHCA would greatly limit the availability of health care for people with disabilities and pre-existing conditions.

Read Sarah Blahovec’s blog “#IAmAPreExistingCondition and I Am Afraid I Will Die Under AHCA” and share your story using the hashtag #IAmAPreExistingCondition