 A demonstrator in support of the Affordable Care Act holds up a sign in 2015. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg) By Carolyn Y. Johnson One in four non-elderly adults has a medical condition, ranging from diabetes to pregnancy to severe obesity to arthritis, that would make them uninsurable under the health coverage rules that prevailed before the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study. Before President Obama's signature health-care law took effect, insurers could deny coverage to people buying individual health plans or charge them higher rates based on their health history, occupation or the medications they took. Through one of the law's most popular provisions, insurers can't deny people coverage — and the factors they use to determine people's premiums are extremely limited. 
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but said in an interview on "60 Minutes" that prohibiting insurers from denying insurance to people based on their health history is "one of the strongest assets" of the law. The new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows just how important that provision is to many Americans. The study examined 2015 data to see how prevalent preexisting conditions are and found that 52 million non-elderly Americans could be ineligible for insurance under the old rules. The analysis can't distinguish what type of insurance those people have now; many are likely covered by an employer-based plan. But if those people were to lose their jobs or have a gap in coverage and found themselves purchasing a health plan on their own, they could run into restrictions, higher premiums or even denials if the pre-Obamacare rules were back in place. | 
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