Washington (CNN) The expected future chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee said in an interview with The Washington Post that the House will vote on protecting insurance guarantees for people with pre-existing conditions when Democrats are back in control of the chamber.

"We need a vote on pre-existing conditions right away," Rep. Richard Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, told The Washington Post . "We said that was one of the cornerstones of the (Affordable Care Act). After (Republicans) saw how badly their position was polling on it, they said they were for it."

Neal's comments after Tuesday's elections followed a campaign season dominated by talk of health care, where many candidates on both sides pledged to support popular insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The protections have been one of the most popular portions of the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare, and Democrats have warned that Republicans pose a threat to the measure.

Obamacare transformed the health insurance landscape, particularly for those who are or have been sick. The health care law bans insurers from denying people policies or charging them more based on their medical histories. It also requires carriers to provide comprehensive coverage.

The popularity of these provisions is one of the reasons Republican lawmakers failed in their efforts to repeal Obamacare last year.

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