Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) is on the ballot in 2018 and he’s facing tough opposition in his home state. After months of constituents showing up at his offices and asking for a town hall, Sen. Heller finally agreed. He faced numerous questions about the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. One Nevada woman pinned him down on his support of a plan to move people with pre-existing conditions into high-risk pools and in doing so, she may be moving Sen. Heller’s job security into a high-risk pool of its own. From CNN:
Vivian Leal, a 51-year-old Reno mother who said she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, pressed Heller the hardest -- interrupting and demanding specifics when he talked around her question about whether he will oppose any legislation that revokes Obamacare's protections for those
with pre-existing conditions and that directs those people into
high-risk insurance pools.
Sen. Heller attempted to spin, reciting the same old line about giving people “access” to insurance, which is Republican code for “if you can afford it.” Vivian Leal did not let him off the hook:
"Yes or no? High-risk pools, that's my question," she demanded. "Don't give me a fuzzy answer. High-risk pools -- that's my question. Please answer it."
The crowd loudly chanted "yes or no!" at Heller.
"I will support high-risk pools, because there are some people who want them," the senator said, drawing boos. He added that he wants to make sure everyone has "access to the health care that you want."
And with that question and Heller’s response, his re-election fight in 2018 got significantly more challenging. The Republican end game is to move the people with pre-existing conditions into high-risk pools, a move that would have devastating, even fatal outcomes for an untold number who will no longer be able to afford health insurance and/or will be sent into bankruptcy, faced with losing their home or losing their health. More on the Republican plan that would affect 1 in 4 Americans from the Center for American Progress:
In the wake of Congressional Republicans’ failure to drum up support for their health plan last month, the White House is negotiating to put repeal of the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, back on the table. While the previous proposal would have already driven up health care costs and stripped millions of coverage, the new proposal is rumored to include provisions that would undo protections for the more than 130 million Americans who have a pre-existing health condition.
Republicans are now discussing a provision that is effectively a sick tax on premiums: People with health conditions would be charged multiples more based on their medical history, paying above-standard rates for coverage. Even if the new plan preserved the ACA’s rules on guaranteed issue—meaning that issuers cannot deny coverage—consumers with pre-existing conditions could still be priced out of the market.
Prior to the ACA, insurers could discriminate against consumers based on their current health conditions and medical history. Consumers with common ailments, including asthma and high blood pressure, were charged higher rates. People with histories of serious conditions, such as cancer or heart attacks, were regularly denied coverage altogether.
Watch Vivian Leal get Dean Heller to admit he supports high-risk pools:
You can see more of Sen. Heller’s response in the additional video below.
The overflow crowd stayed on Heller throughout the two-hour event. Here’s a short wrap-up showing how contentious it was throughout the event: