New actions from the Trump administration are complicating\u00a0efforts of vulnerable Republicans to show their support for pre-existing condition protections heading into Tuesday’s midterm elections.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration moved last week to allow\u00a0states to waive certain ObamaCare requirements and pursue conservative health policies that were previously not allowed under the Obama administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cStates know much better than the federal government how their markets work,\u201d Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma said\u00a0at the time. \u201cWe are making sure that they have the ability to adopt innovative strategies to reduce costs for Americans, while providing higher quality options.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new rules would allow states to promote health plans that don\u2019t require the same level of coverage as the federal health law, including charging people with pre-existing conditions more money.<\/p>\n
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But while\u00a0Trump administration officials touted the new rules as a major victory for state flexibility and innovation, the change also forced already embattled Republicans to parry heightened attacks from Democrats accusing them of wanting to take away the protections.<\/p>\n
The entangling political dynamics were\u00a0no more on display this week than in Wisconsin where Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who is locked in a tight reelection battle, announced that he was willing to adopt ObamaCare\u2019s pre-existing protection language verbatim.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople want to know, they want to hear it directly from me that we will always cover people with pre-existing conditions,” Walker told reporters, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter what happens in the courts or in the Congress, in Wisconsin we’ll codify that, the exact same language that’s in the Affordable Care Act, we’ll make sure that everyone living with pre-existing conditions is covered here in the state,\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n
It was a dramatic about-face for Walker, who has spent the past eight years disparaging the health law. But\u00a0the two-term incumbent\u00a0is essentially tied with Democrat Tony Evers ahead of Tuesday\u2019s election, and polling shows overwhelming support for pre-existing condition protections.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalker is trying to not be on the wrong side of the issue,\u201d said Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll. \u201cHe\u2019s embracing the exact language of a bill he campaigned against for eight years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet even as Walker was declaring his support for the most popular parts of ObamaCare, the Trump administration announced it had approved Walker\u2019s request to change Medicaid to impose work requirements and charge premiums for some of the poorest people in the state.<\/p>\n
Unlike in other states that instituted Medicaid work requirements like Arkansas or Kentucky, there was no in-person rollout.<\/p>\n
Walker did not appear with administration officials to tout the announcement.<\/p>\n
In a statement and during a campaign stop Wednesday, Walker defended the moves, saying the restrictions will prepare Medicaid beneficiaries to enter the job market.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith more people working in Wisconsin than ever before, we can\u2019t afford to have anyone on the sidelines: we need everyone in the game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Franklin said work requirements have historically been popular in Wisconsin for welfare programs like food stamps, but Democrats can tie the Medicaid waiver to coverage restrictions.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though it\u2019s disconnected from pre-existing conditions, it further undermines his position as a champion for unrestricted health coverage,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cWhile it might play to his past support for requiring work, at the moment, he doesn\u2019t want to make that a key talking point.”<\/p>\n
While Walker’s comments embracing a portion of ObamaCare are the most explicit a Republican has made on the topic, other Republicans have also been forced to defend their positions on the issue.<\/p>\n
Missouri GOP Senate candidate Josh Hawley released a campaign ad this fall saying his oldest son has a rare chronic disease, and he supports “forcing insurance companies to cover all preexisting conditions.”<\/p>\n
Hawley is among the 20 conservative state attorneys general fighting in federal court to invalidate those protections. He’s said he has no regrets about being part of the lawsuit.<\/p>\n
Rep. Martha McSallyMartha Elizabeth McSallyGOP senators introduce resolution opposing calls to defund the police No evidence of unauthorized data transfers by top Chinese drone manufacturer: study Senate Democratic campaign arm launches online hub ahead of November MORE (R), who is running to replace retiring Sen. Jeff FlakeJeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeGOP lawmakers stick to Trump amid new criticism Kelly holds double-digit lead over McSally in Arizona: poll Trump asserts his power over Republicans MORE (R) in Arizona, said in an ad she is “leading the fight” to “force insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions.”<\/p>\n
Yet McSally voted for a GOP ObamaCare repeal bill last year that would have allowed states to repeal ObamaCare’s protection against premium spikes on people with pre-existing conditions.<\/p>\n
In Wisconsin, Evers has been hammering Walker for his refusal to expand Medicaid. His first television ad of the campaign accused Walker of playing politics during his 2016 presidential run by refusing to accept federal money to expand coverage.<\/p>\n
The Democratic candidate has not weighed in on the work requirement issue but he blasted Walker\u2019s comments on ObamaCare. The\u00a0administration’s approval marks the first time a non-expansion state has been given permission to impose the work requirements.<\/p>\n