Hawley slammed for lawsuit that could end coverage for preexisting conditions

A coalition of health and social and economic justice groups slammed Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley on Friday, June 8 for his lawsuit that has now put millions of Missourians with pre-existing conditions at risk of losing coverage.

The previous night, President Trump's lawyers at the Department of Justice went to court to argue that key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and specifically protections for people with pre-existing conditions, are unconstitutional. The move was in response to a lawsuit brought against the ACA by 20 Republican state officials, including Hawley, which is now putting care for nearly 2.5 million Missourians who have a pre-existing condition at risk.

“Last night’s move by the DOJ exposes the Trump-Hawley agenda for what it really is: an attack on affordable health coverage and the working people who need it,” said Caitlyn Adams, executive director of Missouri Jobs with Justice. “If this cruel scheme works, Hawley owes his constituents an explanation for why ripping away protections from people with pre-existing conditions helps the state of Missouri or its citizens.”

Hawley recently told a group of reporters that “I’m delighted to have the president’s support,” and that “I hope he’ll be in Missouri often.”

If the Trump Administration lawyers have their way, they will end protections for people with pre-existing conditions overnight. The Trump Administration is going to court to argue that insurance companies should be allowed to discriminate against as many as one in two Americans who has a pre-existing condition. This move comes as insurers are filing their proposed rates for 2019, which experts warn will only increase uncertainty in the insurance market, leading insurance companies to increase Americans’ premiums even more.

Protect Our Care is a coalition of health care, social and economic justice groups working to protect and improve the ACA and oppose Republican attempts to undermine it. The group’s Missouri arm will focus on raising awareness about the importance of the ACA and how Republican attempts to repeal and sabotage the law are already harming rural communities, increasing health care costs, and hampering efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.