By Tessa Weinberg & Columbia Missourian • Feb 15, 2021 It’s been nearly three months since Rep. Brenda Shields was diagnosed with COVID-19, but her lung issues still persist. Shields said she feels her condition improving every day, but she still has difficulty breathing — especially when she exerts even a small amount of energy. Lawmakers are concerned the pandemic will add to the more than 1 million Missourians with preexisting conditions, making it more difficult for them to obtain health insurance if a GOP-led effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act prevails before the U.S. Supreme Court. In preparation for that possibility, Republican lawmakers have filed a trio of bills that would give voters the opportunity to amend the state constitution to add protections for children and adults with preexisting conditions.