B²: House Health Care Bill
Some things just go together and should never be separated – birthdays and cake, October and baseball, Beyoncé and Jay Z.
But a new pair has been making headlines in recent days: the House health care bill and pre-existing conditions.
Every single interview/article/social media post that addresses the AHCA, also addresses pre-existing conditions. This means you have no excuse for stumbling through an answer to a question that addresses both. You will be asked about pre-existing conditions in relation to health care, it’s only a matter of time.
So, let’s practice.
Good thing it’s Tuesday, B² day.
Here’s this week’s likely media question and the B² (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:
Q: “What about people with pre-existing conditions? Will they lose coverage?”
B²: “No. Coverage for those with pre-existing conditions will remain, even after the Senate makes changes. But as we try to move forward and implement good health care policy, we have to consider not only those with pre-existing conditions, but also those who lost their doctors and plans, and experienced exorbitant price increases, under ObamaCare. <Insert talking point>.”
Wherever you take the conversation next, don’t shy away from the pre-existing conditions debate. This is a complicated issue that will take time to get right. While we wait for Capitol Hill to work it out, now’s the time to have conversations about what ObamaCare got wrong and how we can fix it so good health care policy prevails.