What about the people who don’t have pre-existing conditions but lost their health insurance under the ACA because their previous insurance carrier (with whom they were happy) couldn’t afford to comply with the mandatory coverage requirements? They were put at risk because of Obamacare. Who cares about them, right?

In any case, requesting health insurance for a pre-existing health condition is like requesting fire insurance for a home after it has already burned down: the homeowner might legitimately need help, but that help cannot be called “insurance.” What that person needs — and perhaps what you actually want — is a social safety net. One can debate the funding mechanisms of such a program, but let’s not obfuscate the issue by calling an after-the-fact social safety net program with a before-the-fact insurance policy. They’re entirely different, and the way they might be financed and implemented would be different, as well.