GOP 'Health Care' Bill Treats Rape and Domestic Abuse as Preexisting Conditions

House Republicans and Donald Trump are giddy about the blow they dealt to all Americans by passing the deeply problematic American Health Care Act (Trumpcare), which would replace the Affordable Care Act. And as befits this administration, women have been targeted under the new act in surreal, unfathomable ways in terms of what counts as preexisting conditions, adding to the litany of rights and protections that have been rolled back for women since Trump took office.

It should come as no surprise that the party that put a man who brags about grabbing women without consent in the White House passed a bill in the House that calls rape (sexual assault) a preexisting condition, even after he tweeted last week, "Healthcare plan is on its way. Will have much lower premiums & deductibles while at the same time taking care of pre-existing conditions!"

Republicans are entirely responsible for the bill (which narrowly passed with a vote of 217-213) that includes the hateful MacArthur-Meadows Amendment, which allows states to deny coverage for preexisting conditions including sexual assault, postpartum depression, cesarean sections, and surviving domestic abuse, New York Magazine reports.

The amendment is a step back to before the Affordable Care Act was passed, when rape survivors could be denied coverage for injuries sustained during the attack. People are sexually assaulted are vulnerable to a host of illnesses following an attack, including sexually transmitted diseases, psychological trauma, and pregnancy, none of which would be required to be covered under the GOP "health care" bill, according to Raw Story.

If that weren't outlandish enough, the amendment also allows companies to deny coverage for health services including vaccinations, mammograms, and gynecological screenings, Raw Story reports. Under the Republican legislation now headed to the GOP-controlled Senate, Planned Parenthood, which provides lifesaving services, could see its Medicaid funding stripped.

The move is another in a long line of offenses the Trump administration has rained down upon women since January, including his signing an executive order to halt funding to international organizations that provide or advise on abortions, rescinding workplace protections that held employers accountable for the gender pay gap and sexual harassment suits, and recently dismantling Michelle Obama's Let Girls Learn program.