Gov. John Kasich says Ohio should be doing everything it can to defend the Affordable Care Act's requirement of health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. This once again positions Kasich against President Donald Trump, who has said his administration will not fight for the law.
Kasich is strongly opposed to a lawsuit filed by 20 states fighting the part of Obamacare that makes sure no one is denied health care because of preexisting conditions.
“Because you got sick is no reason for you to be bankrupted, is no reason for you to be living a life of panic because somebody decided because you had a preexisting condition you shouldn’t get health care,” Kasich says.
Kasich said Ohio should be doing all it can, but never clearly said he’d call on Attorney General Mike DeWine to file a brief in defense of the provision.
DeWine has long opposed Obamacare, and his office says he has no plans on intervening in the case and made note that no state has written a brief focusing only on preexisting conditions.
Kasich's administration applied for a waiver to end the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, but was rejected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for failing to show enough Ohioans would still have access to affordable care.
About 230,000 Ohioans have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
