At least one in four U.S. adults could be uninsurable due to a pre-existing condition in the wake of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, according to an estimate by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation released Monday.
Those adults, or about 52 million people, have a current or past diagnosis that could allow health insurers to refuse them health coverage, the Kaiser analysis found.
Most adults get health insurance through their employer or public programs and are thus shielded from this aspect of the health insurance industry. But others, including self-employed people, lower-wage workers, early retirees and those in need of coverage in-between life changes, seek coverage on the individual insurance market.
The “vast majority” of that 52 million population is covered through their employer or public programs, according to the Kaiser report. But if any of those people lost insurance because of unemployment, divorce, turning 26 or another reason, their pre-existing condition would become an even bigger problem.
The scope of what has been considered a pre-existing condition can be shocking.
Before the ACA, excludable pre-existing conditions included people who had diabetes, obesity or mental disorders (including being bipolar or having an eating disorder) or had been treated for alcohol or drug abuse, the Kaiser report show |
