The American Health Care Act passed in the U.S. House earlier this month is being met with a lot of criticism.   Congressman Don Bacon is working to clear up the confusion.

Congressman Bacon says, “The area that has been attacked the most is pre-existing conditions and it is a false attack. It is clearly written in the bill that if you have pre-existing conditions you will be charged the same amount as a healthy person for the same age.  There is a situation where states can ask for waivers but they have to commit to also providing pre-existing conditions at the same cost as a healthy person.”

There is one exception and that is if a person refuses to get insurance and later need surgery and they want insurance right away to pay for a procedure. Congressman Bacon says there is a penalty for one year.  However, if you have insurance you will not be charged more than a healthy person if you have a high risk situation.

Congressman Bacon is also convinced the bill will pass in the U.S. Senate. He says, “Just two-and-a-half weeks ago we learned that 120,000 Nebraskans and Iowans will lose their health care this year.  This is going on all over the country.  The individual market is collapsing because rates have gotten so high that healthy people can’t afford the insurance anymore if they have to buy their own insurance so we have to fix it.”