PRE-EXISTING COVERAGE IN JEOPARDY? Yesterday, Gov. John Bel Edwards slammed Louisiana's attorney general Jeff Landry for joining a lawsuit aimed at throwing out the federal healthcare overhaul, including protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions. Edwards, a Democrat said the lawsuit threatens health coverage for 849,000 people in Louisiana who are estimated to have pre-existing health conditions.
During an appearance on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJcwL8hG6Oo">Cable News Network yesterday, Landry, a Republican said that once Obamacare is overturned, it would allow health care insurers to compete by bringing more competition into the market and lower premiums. But when CNN’s Erica Hill asked Landry if there was a specific plan to assure health care coverage to Louisiana’s citizens who have pre-existing health conditions, there was this exchange:
Landry explained "Again, that's what we've always said from the beginning, not this type of universal healthcare plan which has done nothing but been a drain on both the state .." Hill interrupted by saying, "Okay, we only have 30 seconds sir but just to be clear, there is not an exact plan to ensure that those with pre-existing conditions will continue to be guaranteed coverage in the state of Louisiana. Is that correct?”
“Oh, absolutely, no, I would disagree,” Landry remarked.
“But it sounds to me like there’s not a plan,” Hill shot back. “All you’re saying is competition is going to figure it out.”
“I’m not the Legislature,” Landry said. “I’m the attorney general for making sure that we abide by the rule of law.”
In February, Republican governors and attorneys general in 20 states filed the lawsuit that argues the Affordable Care Act was rendered unconstitutional after Congress repealed the "individual mandate" that required most Americans to buy insurance or risk a tax penalty.
Landry, a possible challenger to Edwards in the 2019 governor's race, has long opposed former President Barack Obama's health care law as an unconstitutional federal overreach.