Trump-Gillespie Plan Could Increase Costs for 1,344,000 Virginians with Pre-existing Conditions

In a new story out today in Newsweek, Ed Gillespie said he would consider exploring plans under Trumpcare to raise premiums on Virginians with pre-existing conditions:

If some form of a waiver makes it into the final law, [Gillespie] continued, “I’ll take a look at it, look at the cost, what the funding for a risk pool would be and the impact on Virginians before making an informed decision.”

Waiving community ratings means insurers could increase premiums by “unlimited amounts” for people with pre-existing conditions, and could once again discriminate against people based on their medical history.

According to the Brookings Institute, “people with serious health conditions would face prohibitively high premiums,” and waivers like the one that Gillespie is suggesting could “seriously jeopardize both financial security and access to care for people with serious illnesses.” This would also allow insurance companies to charge seniors six times or more what younger adults would pay.

“Falling in line with President Trump, Ed Gillespie wants to gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions and let insurers jack up their rates as much as they want,” said DPVA spokeswoman Christina Freundlich. “For over a million Virginians, a Trump-Gillespie plan could mean bankruptcy, but for others, it could mean a death sentence. The only way Virginians are going to be able to protect health care for those who need it most is by electing a Democrat as governor this fall.”