Assembly speaker open to Walker health insurance changes

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he’s open to Gov. Scott Walker’s call for a bill to guarantee that people with pre-existing conditions can get health insurance and to seek a federal waiver meant to lower premiums.

Walker announced Sunday that he wants a state law that would prohibit insurers from denying coverage because of an applicant’s pre-existing health condition. The governor also says he wants to obtain a federal waiver to offer reinsurance, a move designed to lower premiums for people in the private insurance marketplace.

Vos, a Republican, told reporters on Tuesday that lawmakers in Washington D.C. haven’t been able to find a permanent remedy for flaws in the Affordable Care Act so states like Wisconsin have had to step in to help families pay rising premiums.