Raleigh – One year ago today, Senator Tillis called his vote to gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions “courageous” and said that he wanted to “take out the underpinning of the Affordable Care Act,” which guarantees protections for North Carolinians with pre-existing conditions.

Senator Tillis has a long track record pushing to gut vital protections for people with pre-existing conditions and make health care more expensive for North Carolinians.

He said he would vote for “outright repeal” of the ACA “every time it comes to the floor.” He bragged that he “made it illegal to expand Medicaid” in North Carolina. He supports “anything” that takes the ACA “off the table” including a reckless lawsuit that guts protections for people with pre-existing conditions. And just last week, he voted for a second time to expand “junk” insurance plans that are “so skimpy that they offer no meaningful coverage.”

With such a long, toxic record attacking North Carolinians’ health care, it’s no wonder he’s working overtime to paper over it. His health care initiatives, however, have been blasted as a “false promise” and “mirage” that “would do little to protect people with pre-existing conditions” and are more about providing weak Senators like Tillis with “political cover” than providing patients with vital protections.

“There’s nothing ‘courageous’ about voting to gut protections that families with pre-existing conditions rely on,” NCDP spokesman Robert Howard said. “Senator Tillis has repeatedly pushed policies that would make health care more expensive, gut vital protections for pre-existing conditions, and saddle North Carolinians with worse health care – all while giving himself a pat on the back. North Carolinians’ health care won’t be safe as long as Senator Tillis is in Washington.”