Manchin backs measure aimed at preserving pre-existing condition coverage

At a press conference Tuesday in Washington, Manchin, D-W.Va., explained the measure. He said it would direct Senate’s legal team to intervene in a lawsuit defending the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, while focusing on protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

A federal court in Texas last month declared the ACA unconstitutional based on its individual mandate clause requiring every American to have medical coverage. The Trump administration, opposed to the health care plan enacted under former President Barack Obama, has directed its attorneys not to defend the ACA in court.