Paul Ryan tries to rebrand new health care plan as more Republicans defect.

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Paul Ryan and his deputies attempted to rebrand the party’s troubled health care plan as providing “layers of protection” for people with preexisting conditions, even as members of their caucus continued to defect from backing the legislation.

Ryan told reporters Tuesday morning. “[T]he purpose of our bill is to get more choices, lower prices while preserving the protections for preexisting conditions.”

Republic Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the majority whip, read aloud a letter from a constituent with a preexisting condition who said Obamacare did not help him. “Our bill protects people with preexisting conditions and actually provides multiple layers of protection for people with preexisting conditions in ways that Obamacare doesn’t do,” Scalise said.

Ryan later released a long fact sheet claiming the waiver process for states is “strict” and that the bill still protects sick people.


By Liz Goodwin.
Full story at Yahoo News.