Steve Kagen (WI-8) Introduces bill to end discrimination in health insurance

[undeterred]

(Washington, D.C.) Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. took another step towards guaranteeing access to affordable health care for all of us today by introducing his No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act, which will bring an end to the practice of allowing insurance companies to deny coverage to any citizen because of a pre-existing medical condition.

“By working together, we will put discrimination where it belongs – in the past,” said Kagen. “Our Constitution protects all citizens – even those who are ill - against discrimination, and it is time to establish this fundamental principle in health care.”

The No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act also brings transparency to the health care marketplace. This new bill would require all health insurance companies to openly disclose their prices, and also requires them to charge every citizen within a designated region the same fee for the same service.

“Ending discrimination in health insurance is the right thing to do, and it will reduce costs for care everywhere in these United States. Simply put, if you’re a citizen, you’re in – with no discrimination against you due to pre-existing medical conditions,” said Kagen.

In a letter to Congressman Kagen, Anna Burger, International Secretary-Treasurer of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), commented, “We commend you for introducing legislation that highlights the urgent need for insurance reforms.” Burger noted that SEIU, which represents 1.9 million workers, is “strongly committed to fundamental health care reform to fix our broken health care system.”

Charles M. Loveless, Director of Legislation for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), said, on behalf of AFSCME’s 1.4 million members, “I am writing to express our strong support for the No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act of 2008 and to thank you for your leadership in addressing an important health insurance problem for many Americans. We greatly appreciate that your bill will ensure that public employees are treated fairly and that nonfederal governmental health plans will be prohibited from discriminating against individual participants on the basis of health status or pre-existing conditions in their health care coverage.”

Ronald F. Pollack, Executive Director of FamiliesUSA, a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans, also commended Congressman Kagen saying, “Your legislation will move towards the goal of reducing the number of uninsured and underinsured by prohibiting discrimination due to pre-existing medical conditions.”

Bill McLin, Executive Director of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, said “Patients diagnosed with asthma or severe allergies need to be under the care of trained health professionals, not discriminated against by health insurance companies. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America supports the No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act and commends Congressman Kagen for his efforts to reform the health care system in our nation. Thank you for your dedication to improving the health care of all Americans.”

“The principles in the No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act are based on my thirty-plus years of practicing medicine. It addresses one of the primary obstacles blocking access to care for millions of Americans,” declared Congressman Kagen.

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