INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Congresswoman Susan Brooks (IN-5) will support the current iteration of the American Health Care Act, jeopardizing coverage for the nearly 330,000 Hoosiers in her district living with pre-existing conditions. Brooks had previously supported protecting coverage for Hoosiers with pre-existing conditions and Democratic Party Chairman John Zody questioned her reversal.

“Congresswoman Brooks’ apparent flip-flop feels like a betrayal to the hundreds of thousands of families in her district living with pre-existing conditions,” said Zody. “For families, the Affordable Care Act meant a sense of security in knowing they would be covered. Brooks’ decision erases that security.”

According to a Center for American Progress report, there are 326,800 Hoosiers between 18-64 living with a pre-existing condition in Congresswoman Brooks’ district. In early March, Brooks had indicated her support for protecting coverage for Hoosiers living with pre-existing conditions but reports surfaced earlier this weekthat Brooks would vote in favor of the current version of the American Health Care Act, which likely eliminates protections for Hoosiers with pre-existing conditions. Zody questioned the sudden shift in Brooks’ position.

“It’s clear Congresswoman Brooks has decided to put toeing the party line before Hoosier families’ best interests,” said Zody. “That decision could turn back the clock for hundreds of thousands of families to a time when affordable health care coverage was out of reach for most. That’s not leadership, it’s politics pure and simple.”

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