President Trump is still insisting that the House Republican bill will take care of people with pre-existing conditions, in the face of growing criticism that it would undermine Affordable Care Act protections. "I want it to be good for sick people. It's not in its final form right now," Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg, adding:
It will be every bit as good on pre-existing conditions as Obamacare.
Reality check: Every time Trump makes promises like this, as he did this weekend, he draws more attention to one of the bill's biggest political vulnerabilities: it would let states get waivers to escape the rule banning insurers from charging higher rates for people with pre-existing conditions. Those states would have to have high-risk pools to take care of sick people. Ten patient advocacy groups said in a statement today that they're "alarmed" by the proposed changes.