Up to 129 Million Americans Have Pre-Existing Conditions

House GOP Shrugs at Numbers; Votes to Repeal Health Care Reform

Up to 129 million Americans, roughly half of the country's population under the age of 65, have pre-existing medical conditions that would put them at risk of losing their health insurance or make it impossible to get coverage without the Affordable Health Care Act.

The staggering figures from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were met with collective apathy from House Republicans, who voted Wednesday to repeal the bill. The repeal is expected to die in the Senate and, if not, would be vetoed by President Obama.

New polls show that most Americans like many of the reform bill's specific provisions, especially coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and the ability to insure children up to age 26. Further, tens of thousands of small business owners have eagerly signed up employees for health care thanks to a tax credit in the bill.

Data from HHS finds that up to 82 percent of all people with employer-based coverage have pre-existing conditions, meaning they could lose their insurance if they change jobs. Among uninsured Americans, up to 25 million could be denied coverage.

A "pre-existing condition" doesn’t have to mean something as serious as cancer or heart disease. HHS notes that some insurers will refuse to write policies for people with medical conditions as commons as asthma or high blood pressure.

Under the new law, insurers can't deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions and by 2014 it will ban the practice for adults. In the meantime, the law is giving uninsured people with medical conditions access to care through the new, temporary Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, which serves as a bridge until 2014.