Friday, September 18, 2009
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) defending the rights of insurance companies against battered wives
Victims of domestic violence can be denied health coverage in seven states and the District of Columbia because of unwillingness on the part of insurance companies to cover such individuals. Getting beaten up by a spouse is considered a pre-existing condition in Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Three years ago, Democrats in the Senate attempted to pass legislation banning this practice by insurers, only to watch Republicans on the Finance Committee bottle up the bill. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) said at the time that preventing insurance companies from denying people coverage because of domestic violence could increase the price of insurance for everyone and leave more people uninsured.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has proposed ending the discrimination in all 50 states.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
When Getting Beaten By Your Husband Is A Pre-Existing Condition (by Ryan Grim, Huffington Post)
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