GOP Alternative Will Not Bar Discrimination Based On Pre-Existing Conditions

The alternative health care reform bill being pitched by House Republicans will not prevent insurance providers from barring clients based on pre-existing conditions, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Monday.

Instead, the bill aims to increase high-risk pools on a state-by-state basis.

“We do encourage more states to have high-risk pools,” said Boehner during a pen and pad session with reporters. “It is a place where people with pre-existing conditions will have an opportunity to get affordable health insurance.”

According to Boehner, the Republican plan will likely not provide tax-incentives for those who purchase their own insurance either, citing the presumably high-cost as the prohibitive factor.

In addition to the alternative bill, Boehner and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) outlined the party’s strategy for combating the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which will include a 12-hour online town hall and a campaign spear-headed by Republican women members.

“Our goal is to make this as difficult as possible to vote for,” Boehner remarked.