Republican Senators introduce a bill to protect consumers with pre-existing conditions

Patients benefit largely due to value-based care solutions and insurance. Affordable Care Act prohibits insurers from charging more to consumers with pre-existing conditions. The polls show that voters support this provision. If 20 conservative states succeed in their lawsuit to repeal the ACA, these protections could vanish. With the midterm election approaching it will put many Congressional Republicans on defense.

download.jpg

10 Republican senators, led by Thom Tillis, R-N.C., introduced a bill to amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to prohibit insurers from discriminating against individuals with pre-existing conditions.

As written, the bill would prohibit discrimination based on a variety of health status related factors. This includes receipt of care, physical and mental medical conditions, and claims history. But, as most of the challenges in health insurance, things won’t be simple.

The bill would allow an insurer to restrict coverage if it doesn’t have the capacity to deliver the services sufficiently to the existing group contract holders and enrolees. It also says that an insurer can deny coverage if it doesn’t have financial reserves necessary to underwrite additional coverage.