July 15,2019

Press Contact:

Taylor Harvey (202) 224-4515

Wyden Statement on GAO Decision that Sets Stage for Vote on Pre-Existing Conditions

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement following the decision by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that the Trump administration’s guidance on Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act, which allows states to pursue harmful changes to health care like weakening pre-existing condition protections and allowing junk plans to be subsidized with tax credits, is subject to the Congressional Review Act:

“Trump and Republicans in Congress have gone to great lengths to undermine pre-existing condition protections and open the floodgates for junk plans that don’t cover essential health care. Today’s decision means Republicans in Congress will be forced to take a position on pre-existing condition protections. Section 1332 was created to give states the opportunity to improve health care – Trump perverted it to do the exact opposite. Democrats plan to introduce a resolution in the near future that rolls back this harmful rule.”

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