HEALTHCARE/HHS/OBAMACARE(ACA)PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: “Alex M. Azar II, the new secretary of health and human services, said Thursday [2-15-18] that he would closely scrutinize a plan by Idaho to allow the sale of insurance that does not comply with the Affordable Care Act, an early test of how he will enforce a law he opposes. But he said it was too early to know what action he might take…
Democrats in Congress, as well as the American Cancer Society and other groups representing patients, say the Idaho plan would allow insurers to discriminate against people with pre-existing medical conditions, in defiance of the federal law… The plan presents Mr. Azar with a choice that he could face frequently in his new job: whether to try to shore up the health law or to ‘let Obamacare fail,’ as President Trump has threatened to do. His decisions could have significant consequences both for consumers and for Republicans in the midterm elections.
Mr. Azar said he had seen news reports of Idaho’s plan, but did not know the details because the state had not asked the federal government for a waiver of requirements in the Affordable Care Act.
But Mr. Wyden said that ‘Idaho is breaking a federal law’ and was not seeking permission from the federal government.”
-Robert Pear, “New Health Secretary Faces First Test as Idaho Skirts Federal Law,” The New York Times online, Feb. 15, 2018