Dianne Feinstein: “In 1945, President Harry Truman proposed universal health insurance, putting on the public agenda, the goal of universal…”

“In 1945, President Harry Truman proposed universal health insurance, putting on the public agenda, the goal of universal health insurance, a goal that still eludes us. Too many Americans find that just when they most need health insurance, it is not there. It is terminated. They are denied its purchase, because they are sick. They are determined to be uninsurable. The bipartisan bill before us today does not provide health insurance to every American. We still face that challenge. But the bill before us today takes an important step toward making health insurance more secure. This bill provides some health security in several ways: No Arbitrary Terminations: Insurers will not be able to impose preexisting condition limitations for more than an initial 12-month period. This means that employees can change jobs without fear or facing a new preexisting condition exclusion. Guaranteed Access: Insurers will be required to offer insurance to all groups, regardless of the health status of any member of the group and employees could not be denied group coverage based on their health status. Guaranteed Insurance Renewal: Groups and individuals who have insurance will be able to renew their policies as long as they have paid their premiums. Individual Coverage Guaranteed: People who leave their job where they have had 18 months of prior employer group coverage and who have exhausted their extended [COBRA] coverage would be guaranteed access to an individual policy.”