Nancy Kassebaum: “These words are meant to broadly preclude the use of any of the categories insurance companies have historically used to…”

“These words are meant to broadly preclude the use of any of the categories insurance companies have historically used to deny people coverage based on health status and related factors-- that reasonably could lead a health plan to believe that an individual would incur high health costs or be uninsurable. They are meant to preclude use of any of the categories insurance companies have historically used to deny people coverage based on their expected health costs--not only medical history or the presence of preexisting conditions, but also including such factors as family history, likelihood of experiencing domestic violence--or actual experience of domestic violence, genetic predispositions or other genetic information, or residence in a low-income neighborhood. I want to just mention a few measures that we will have to address in the conference. The Health Insurance Reform Act is a modest, responsible bipartisan solution to many of the most obvious abuses in the health insurance market today. In fact, the only active opposition to the legislation comes from those who profit from the abuses in the current system. In his State of the Union Address last January, President Clinton challenged the Congress to pass this bill. Now the Senate is poised to fulfill that pledge. Mr. President, the only thing that stands between this bill and the President's signature are controversial provisions added in the House of Representatives.”