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What The Midterm Elections Could Mean For Health Care Coverage

Andy Dean
/
Fotolia

Oral arguments were heard this week in a court case challenging some of what’s left of the Affordable Care Act. Wisconsin is among the plaintiffs in the case. Meanwhile, health care may prove to be an interesting balancing act for candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.

The midterm elections will be "very, very pivotal" in terms of the direction of health policy according to Barbara Zabawa, clinical assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences at UW-Milwaukee, and founder of the Center for Health and Wellness Law. With major shifts both at the state and federal level, she notes the majority of the electorate is in favor of coverage for pre-existing conditions.

"When you poll the entire United States, even among Republicans, there's a majority support for keeping protections against pre-existing conditions. People want to be able to get health insurance coverage even if they have a pre-existing condition ... that might either make getting health insurance impossible or impossible to afford," says Zabawa.

The current lawsuit by 20 different states, Texas v. United States, is challenging the constitutionality of the remaining portions of the Affordable Care Act. This adds complications to what health insurance could look like soon, says Zabawa. She joins Lake Effect's Mitch Teich to put this and other health care news in perspective:

Barbara J. Zabawa owns the Center for Health and Wellness Law, LLC a law firm dedicated to improving legal access and compliance for the health and wellness industries.  Barbara is also a Clinical Assistant Professor for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Health Sciences, Department of Health Services Administration.