Vulnerable House Republican unveils resolution on pre-existing conditions

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) on Tuesday introduced a resolution intended to protect people with pre-existing conditions, illustrating the lengths vulnerable Republicans are going to try to show they favor those protections.

The resolution from Sessions, who is facing a close reelection race against Democrat Colin Allred, is nonbinding, but expresses the opinion of the House that pre-existing conditions should be protected.

{mosads}In a statement, Sessions said that “Obamacare has failed the American people,” but he added that he does want to preserve pre-existing condition protections.

“To cement these protections, I proudly introduced this resolution to ensure that patients with pre-existing conditions are protected from the erroneously high costs and the limited options they are experiencing now,” Sessions said.

The resolution does not spell out the details of how pre-existing conditions would be protected in the absence of ObamaCare.

Democrats have made pre-existing conditions one of their primary lines of attack on Republicans in races across the country. And Sessions is far from alone among vulnerable Republicans in seeking to express support for pre-existing condition protections.

For example, another vulnerable Republican, Rep. David Young (R-Iowa), last month introduced his own resolution expressing support for the protections.

Democrats have countered by pointing out that Republicans like Sessions and Young last year voted for the House’s ObamaCare repeal and replacement bill, which would have allowed states to get waivers to allow insurers to spike premiums for people with pre-existing conditions. They also voted for full repeal of ObamaCare without a replacement in previous years during the Obama administration.

The resolution is cosponsored by other vulnerable members like Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.). It also has the support of Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who is running for Senate, as well as conservatives like House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.).