Not Even a Preexisting Condition Kept Jason Chaffetz From Voting on the AHCA Today

Will you look at this picture of Congressman Jason Chaffetz please?

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, fresh off foot surgery, makes his way through Statuary Hall on his way to the House floor in the Capitol for the vote on repeal and replace of Obamacare. The U.S. House of Representatives will vote Thursday on a controversial Republican bill that would repeal and replace key parts of Obamacare, the GOP’s majority leader said Wednesday night. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., said several days ago that he would not hold the vote without having those winning votes in hand. Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi blasted the GOP for scheduling the vote. And she pointedly noted that the bill had not yet been analyzed by the Congressional Budget Office, which will ultimately estimate what the bill will cost, as well as how it will affect premiums and the number of people covered by insurance. A study released Thursday also shows the bill does not allocate nearly enough money to protect people with pre-existing health conditions from potentially higher insurance premiums.

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Would you look at his impish grin as he scoot-scoot-scoots his way to chamber so he could vote on the controversial American Health Care Act designed to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act? Could anyone look giddier than Chaffetz in this moment?

Of course, he has a lot of drama going on right now, so the GOP member surely deserves a moment of joy. For one thing, he’s not running for reelection. For another, he’s being accused of having Russian ties. Finally, he just had surgery on his foot to correct a 12-year-old injury.

As the Salt Lake Tribune points out, the injury is a pre-existing condition. The AHCA will weaken protections for those with pre-existing conditions, so with reports that Chaffetz will vote in its favor, there is a little cognitive dissonance here, but hey! No big deal! Just look at that happy face!

[image: screengrab]

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