Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) on Sunday said it is “unlikely” that people with preexisting conditions would receive the same or better coverage under the current Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.
“Do you agree with Speaker Ryan and President Trump who are saying people with preexisting conditions are going have the same coverage they have now, even better, Speaker Ryan said, in some cases?” George Stephanopoulos asked Collins on ABC’s “This Week,” referring to comments by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and President Donald Trump.
“I think that’s unlikely,” Collins said. “It’s true that under the House bill that a state that gets a waiver would still have to provide coverage to people with preexisting conditions. But that coverage might well be unaffordable.”
White House chief of staff Reince Priebus on Sunday nevertheless claimed Trump will make sure consumers with pre-existing conditions are “taken care of.”
“If you have a pre-existing condition, this president is not going to let you down,” Priebus said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Collins also told Stephanopoulos that the Senate will not vote on the same bill that passed the House last week.
“The Senate is starting from scratch,” she said. “We’re going to draft our own bill. And I’m convinced that we’re going to take the time to do it right.”
