In this June 28, 2012, photo, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks about the Supreme Court ruling on health care in Washington. Romney says he has a plan to help people with pre-existing medical conditions get health insurance. But there’s a huge catch: You basically have to be covered in the first place. If you had a significant break in health insurance coverage, an insurer still could delve into your medical history. Common conditions _ from a bad back to high blood pressure _ could lead to denial. Compared to Romney’s approach, President Barack Obama’s health care law guarantees that people in poor health can get coverage at the same rates everybody else pays, and it provides financial help for low- to middle-income households. The law says that, starting Jan. 1, 2014, an insurer “may not impose any pre-existing condition exclusion. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Big gaps in Romney plan on pre-existing conditions
In this June 28, 2012, photo, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks about the Supreme Court ruling on health care in Washington. Romney says he has a plan to help people with pre-existing medical conditions get health insurance. But there’s a huge catch: You basically have to be covered in the first place. If you had a significant break in health insurance coverage, an insurer still could delve into your medical history. Common conditions _ from a bad back to high blood pressure _ could lead to denial. Compared to Romney’s approach, President Barack Obama’s health care law guarantees that people in poor health can get coverage at the same rates everybody else pays, and it provides financial help for low- to middle-income households. The law says that, starting Jan. 1, 2014, an insurer “may not impose any pre-existing condition exclusion. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press /
October 9, 2012
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His campaign says states will have the flexibility and resources to design programs for residents who cannot afford coverage on their own.
Individual insurance market expert Karen Pollitz, who served in the Obama administration as a consumer protection regulator, says the components of Romney’s plan are unlikely to provide as comprehensive a guarantee as the president’s Affordable Care Act.
‘‘The ACA just says insurance companies can’t discriminate against you, period,’’ said Pollitz, now with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. ‘‘If you've been uninsured, you can come into this market on Jan. 1, 2014, no questions asked.’’
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