Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Scott Perry demands an end to partisan, political games, and called on House Democrats to work with the Administration and Congressional Republicans to develop real solutions for the increasing costs of healthcare.

The move comes as the House took up H.R. 986, Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019, a disingenuous and maliciously-named proposal that not only has nothing to do with pre-existing conditions, but also aims to confuse the American People. Instead of truly helping our most vulnerable citizens, the bill name is more of the continuing ploy by Democrat leadership that prioritizes their own electoral plans and fundraising efforts for the 2020 election. This is a tactical messaging bill only – it doesn’t fix bad policy.

“Let me be clear: no one, including me, wants to eliminate coverage or remove critical protections for the most vulnerable among us. But this bill has nothing to do with protecting those with pre-existing conditions. The reality is that people in need of life-saving medical care are being used as political pawns in a Democrat-led game,” said Perry. “Democrats refuse to develop bipartisan solutions to address exploding costs and shrinking consumer choices. Heavy-handed, big-government solutions only drive up costs, making insurance unaffordable for everyone, including and especially those with pre-existing conditions. Congress must do better, and that starts with real bipartisan efforts instead of petty political posturing.”

H.R. 986 would prevent the states from creating innovative solutions to provide improved health care. For example, Governor Wolf won’t be allowed to come up with coverage alternatives that are better and cheaper for Pennsylvanians, because this bill prevents him from doing so.

Innovation waivers began under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and were meant to flex to the states to come up with new programs that were cheaper and allow different options for different people. Instead, the innovation waivers were so heavily laden with regulatory requirements that no one used them. In theory, Congress allowed states to innovate, but in practice, killed innovation with overregulation. Most importantly, states haven’t been able to waive requirements to allow inclusion of people with preexisting conditions.

Seven states (Alaska, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon and Wisconsin) have created their own re-insurance program, using the waiver that lowered premiums by an average of 19.9 percent.

Although the bill passed the House by a vote of 230 in support and 183 against, indications are that it will not become law – for good reason.