An estimated 27% of adults under age 65, or 53.8 million, had a preexisting health condition in 2018, according to a study released Friday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. State estimates range from 22% in Colorado to 37% in West Virginia, based on 2018 data from the National Health Interview Survey, the authors said.  
 
In a lawsuit brought by 20 Republican-led states, U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor last year struck down the entire Affordable Care Act based on Congress’s repeal of the tax penalty enforcing the law's individual mandate. “The impending decision by the [court of appeals reviewing the case] raises the prospect that insurers will once again be able to return to using people’s health status in determining their eligibility and premiums for health insurance, at least for coverage obtained from the non-group, or individual insurance, market,” the authors note.
 
In a friend-of-the-court brief filed in April, the AHA, joined by the Federation of American Hospitals, The Catholic Health Association of the United States, America's Essential Hospitals and the Association of American Medical Colleges, urged the court of appeals to reject the district court’s decision.

Related News Articles

Headline
The Food and Drug Administration May 16 announced it cleared the first blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. The test, created by Fujirebio Diagnostics,…
Headline
Zaira Khalid, M.D., senior staff geriatric psychiatrist at Henry Ford Behavioral Health Hospital, discusses the unique physical, emotional and social needs of…
Headline
An estimated 7.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, according to the latest annual report by the Alzheimer's Association. Nearly two-thirds…
Headline
The deadline for health delivery organizations to apply for the AHA’s 2026 Foster G. McGaw Prize is 1 p.m. ET May 6. The award honors organizations that…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services April 10 announced that it does not intend to approve new or extend existing requests for federal funds to…
Headline
The AHA April 11 commented on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability proposed rule. While the AHA…