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Matt Bevin Supports Eroding Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions, Hospital Care, Prescription Drugs and Maternity Care

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Bevin supports higher premiums and marketplace chaos for Kentuckians

Bevin supports charging Kentuckians more based on age, health status and gender

Last Friday, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin joined other Republicans and wealthy special interest groups in supporting the Association Health Plan (AHP) rule from the Department of Labor, which would open the door for insurance plans to price people with pre-existing conditions out of affordable health care coverage and erode coverage for hospital care, prescription drugs, and maternity care.
AHPs have a history of fraud and unpaid claims and would be allowed to charge people more based on their age, health status and gender. They could raise health insurance premiums and cause insurers to decide to leave the market altogether.
Kentucky saw this disaster before in the 1990s. After passing an exemption to allow “associations to sell coverage under a much weaker regulatory scheme,” nearly all insurers left Kentucky’s individual market or declined to sell policies that held to stronger benefits. It’s why Kentucky repealed this loophole in 1998.
Matt Bevin has spent his entire term trying to undermine the ACA. He tried to scale back Medicaid which would have caused close to 100,000 Kentuckians to lose coverage. Bevin then lost a federal court battle over his plan. In a temper tantrum, Bevin threw Kentuckians’ health coverage into chaos by cutting dental and vision coverage for nearly 500,000 Kentuckians without warning.
“Bevin’s support of this rule that would create chaos in the insurance marketplace, raise premiums and allow discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions is shameful,” said DGA Communications Director David Turner. “Matt Bevin’s war against Kentuckians’ health care never ceases. Matt Bevin should immediately withdraw from this suit and explain why he continually tries to undermine coverage for Kentuckians with a pre-existing condition.”