Frank Pallone: “I am still waiting for one of our other speakers. Mr. Chair, I want to respond to my colleague, the ranking member, whom…”

“I am still waiting for one of our other speakers. Mr. Chair, I want to respond to my colleague, the ranking member, whom I respect a great deal. He has several times today, as well as in committee and as a representative at the Rules Committee, talked about this amendment that he has on preexisting conditions. First of all, the reality is that the ACA guarantees people coverage with preexisting conditions. The problem here is not that we need to restate that, but that the section 1332 guidance that the Trump administration has proposed would undermine it. On its surface, Mr. Walden's amendment appears to maintain protections for preexisting conditions, but, again, that is not the issue because he is not getting rid of the guidance that the Trump administration has put forward under 1332. What does that mean? It means that even with his amendment, the Trump administration, under their guidance, would allow insuring companies to not offer basic services such as hospitalization, maternity coverage, mental health, and substance abuse disorders. Insurance companies would no longer have to offer these benefits to people with preexisting conditions who need those benefits. Mr. Walden's amendment also does not include prohibitions on annual and lifetime limits, which are critical protections for individuals with preexisting conditions.…”