GAO: As many as 112 million adults have pre-existing conditions

{mosads}Hypertension, mental health disorders and diabetes are the most common ailments that could lead insurers to deny coverage, GAO said.

The GAO report doesn’t say how many of those people are currently uninsured, but the insurance industry said that number could be relatively low. Most people get their insurance through an employer, and employer plans are already available irrespective of pre-existing conditions, America’s Health Insurance Plans noted.

The trade association also emphasized that requiring plans to cover everyone is closely linked to the individual mandate, which the Supreme Court could strike down this summer.

There is widespread agreement that the two policies must go hand-in-hand — the Obama administration told the Supreme Court that if it strikes down the mandate, it should also toss out the politically popular requirement to cover people with pre-existing conditions.