From Anthony Brindisi for Congress:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CLAUDIA TENNEY SILENT AS PLAN TO ROLL BACK PROTECTIONS FOR PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS ADVANCES

September 5, 2018

As oral arguments for a potentially explosive lawsuit to remove health insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions moves forward this week, Claudia Tenney has yet to speak out. About 289,000 of her constituents in New York’s 22nd Congressional District are at risk from this lawsuit, which capitalizes on her vote to repeal the individual mandate and seeks to roll back a central promise of the Affordable Care Act.

Healthcare premiums in New York skyrocketed after Congress passed the tax plan earlier this year. Working families across NY-22 stand to pay up to $2,500 more for healthcare because of recent attacks on the system. And if that wasn’t enough, a group of states led by Texas is suing the government to roll back protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. Before these protections were put in place, Americans could be denied coverage due to past medical conditions, or charged more on the basis of being a woman who could become pregnant and need maternity care.

“While taking thousands in corporate money from the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries, Claudia Tenney voted for a bill that would repeal protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions like asthma, cancer and diabetes. When that didn’t pass, she voted for a tax plan that sent health insurance premiums for New Yorkers through the roof,” said Anthony Brindisi. “Now, a group of states are suing to remove protections for people with pre-existing conditions and she’s refusing to speak out. With the healthcare of hundreds of thousands of her constituents on the line, Claudia Tenney’s silence tells voters all they need to know about where she stands.”

In fact, Tenney has a poor record on protecting her constituents with pre-existing conditions. She voted for the 2017 American Health Care Act, which would have allowed insurance companies to charge people with pre-existing conditions more for healthcare. In an interview at the time, Tenney claimed that the AHCA wouldn’t negatively affect those with pre-existing conditions. This is far from the truth. Politifact rated a similar claim from another Republican Congressman as mostly false.