Wyoming U.S. Representative Liz Cheney was among those who voted to support the Republican overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. Cheney says the passage of the American Health Care Act by the House of Representatives will help Wyomingites purchase affordable care.  

State Democratic Chairman Joe Barbuto said Cheney’s vote shows how out of touch she is with the state and says the legislation will hurt older Wyomingites, women, and those with pre-existing conditions. Cheney takes issue with that statement and said the House legislation protects those with pre-existing conditions through a variety of safety nets.

“I feel good about where we are in terms of being able to cover people with pre-existing conditions and making sure that the prohibitions are still in place so they can’t be denied coverage. It sounds like what they are working on is a process to make sure we have even more resources available to provide a backstop for that.” Said Cheney.

But Barbuto noted that the bill would allow insurance companies to classify domestic violence victims and victims of sexual assault as pre-existing conditions and deny coverage to survivors. 

The bill now goes to the U.S. Senator where Wyoming Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso both strongly support an overhaul of the ACA, but they have yet to take a position on the House Bill.