Tom Crain: Denham didn’t keep promise to cover those with pre-existing conditions

At the Town Hall meeting held on April 17 in Denair, Rep. Jeff Denham lied to his constituents. In front of about 1,000 people, he said he would not support any health-care plan that did not include coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Up to the day of the vote, phone calls to his local and Washington offices confirmed Denham was voting “no” on the latest version of Trumpcare which pushes providing coverage for those with pre-existing conditions to the states with the cost coming through a special fund.

Then the news broke that Denham was a co-author on the Upton Amendment. The bait-and-switch was complete. The Upton Amendment added a pitiful $8 billion spread over 5 years to the fund spread among all states. Denham’s vote gave Trump a political trophy, not a healthcare plan that includes Americans with pre-existing conditions.

This story was originally published May 8, 2017 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Tom Crain: Denham didn’t keep promise to cover those with pre-existing conditions."