Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the International Air Response facility in Mesa, Arizona. December 16, 2015.
Photo by Ralph Freso for Getty Images
The House is expected to vote Thursday on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), President Trump's long-promised legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare.
The recently added MacArthur Meadows Amendment would allow states to drop Obamacare's guaranteed protection for pre-existing conditions, and even expand on what qualifies as one: as Raw Story reported, domestic violence, sexual assault, or post-partum depression will once again become pre-existing conditions under the AHCA, depending on which state you live in. Insurance companies will also be able to deny coverage of preventative healthcare measures like vaccinations, mammograms and gynecological screenings.
The AHCA is expected to pass on Thursday. It hasn't been scored by the Congressional Budget Office, and was finalized Wednesday night, preventing Republicans from knowing what the legislation contains or how much it will cost. A text of the bill has not been made public.
A previous version of the bill scored by the CBO found that the AHCA would leave 24 million Americans without health insurance. According to the Wall Street Journal, the bill contains a provision that could reduce the protections of Americans who get health insurance through their employers, about half the country.
In its current form, the AHCA contains an exemption for members of Congress, preventing them from losing some Obamacare provisions.