Trump DOJ: Gut Protections For People With Preexisting Conditions

About 52 million Americans under the age of 65 have a wide range of preexisting medial conditions that insurance companies have, in the past, cited for denying coverage or setting policy rates astronomically high, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Those conditions go well beyond particularly serious illnesses such as cancer and also include diabetes, asthma and pregnancy.

Before passage of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, people with preexisting conditions who tried to buy their own insurance were routinely denied coverage based on their medical history. Under rules of the act that went into effect in 2014, insurance companies have been forbidden to charge more or deny coverage based on health status.

President Trump said before the 2016 election and during recent debates in Congress over repealing the health care law that he would not support any changes that would do away with those protections.

In a court case filed by Texas and 19 other states, though, Trump's Justice Department said in a brief on Thursday that protections for people with pre-existing conditions were unconstitutional and must be struck down.

Read the Washington Post story on the fight over preexisting conditions and Obamacare here.

See the Fox News report on the lawsuit here.

The Wall Street Journal has this story.

Here is The New York Times report on the Trump administration's stance.

Here is a CNN report.

Photo: File of protesters opposing proposed changes to the Affordable Health Care Act. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)