To the editor:

The new Republican health care “fix” is taking shape. New Republican members of Congress are using the same new buzz words when interviewed by NPR: “High-risk pools run by the states.”

Much can be inferred. There will be millions of uninsured people because insurers will again be allowed to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions (PECs) or, using the buzz words, “high-risk” individuals.

High-risk people will get coverage only if their state chooses or is required by the new law to create a pool, it is subsidized, and insurers participate in it. In reality, only high population states like California and New York will have working pools. Kansas will likely have nothing. It will not create a pool or will not subsidize it, and insurers will not participate in it or offer coverage that is affordable or worth having. Kansas hospitals should prepare for a new wave of ER visits from thousands of newly uninsured Kansans.