GOP lawmaker’s ad pledges support for pre-existing condition protections

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) on Wednesday released a reelection ad saying he wants to ensure protections for people with pre-existing conditions, making him the latest vulnerable Republican to highlight support for the ObamaCare provision.

In the digital ad, Rohrabacher said health care is a personal issue for him because his daughter was diagnosed with leukemia when she was eight years old.

{mosads}“So for her and all our families, we must protect America’s healthcare system. That’s why I’m taking on both parties, and fighting for those with pre-existing conditions,” Rohrabacher says in the ad.

His campaign did not say how he is taking on the Republican party. A spokesman pointed to an op-ed from last year where Rohrabacher wrote that Medicare should bear all the costs of covering people with pre-existing conditions.

Rohrabacher voted for the House GOP’s ObamaCare repeal and replacement bill, which would have allowed states to receive waivers allowing insurers to raise premiums for people with pre-existing conditions. He also joined with House Republicans in previous years to vote for full repeal of ObamaCare without a replacement.

Democrats have made pre-existing conditions one of their primary lines of attack against congressional Republicans, and Rohrabacher joins a list of GOP incumbents in tight reelection races who are publicly expressing support for pre-existing conditions protections.

At least two House Republicans have introduced non-binding resolutions backing pre-existing condition protections. Rohrabacher has not signed on as a cosponsor for either resolution.

The California Republican faces a formidable challenge from Harley Rouda (D), and his seat is rated a “toss up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

Updated: 4:52 p.m.