Attacking The Insurance Denial Of Service Attack

Don't think anyone will benefit from the endless socialist horrors of Obamacare?  Keep in mind by 2014 nobody can be denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions under the law, which is important, because one in seven Americans were denied health insurance over the last three years for exactly that reason.

The nation’s four largest for-profit health insurers denied coverage to more than 651,000 people over a three-year period, citing pre-existing conditions, according to an analysis of insurer data detailed in a Congressional investigation.

Between Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealth Group, and WellPoint, that averages out to a denial of coverage for one out of every seven applicants, according to an Energy and Commerce Committee memo about the investigation.

The memo, released by Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak, both Democrats, touts provisions in the health care reform bill that address pre-existing condition denials.

But all politics aside, the investigation contains some interesting figures and information culled from thousands of pages of documents provided by the insurers. The memo points out, for instance, that since 2007, the number of denials on the basis of pre-existing conditions has risen each year, outpacing the increase in applications for insurance coverage.

That includes a quarter of a million Americans just last year alone, by just 4 insurers.  Children cannot be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions now, and all Americans will have that benefit by 2014.

But let's repeal it all and let insurance companies refuse to cover people, like the Republicans want.  And of course, the Republicans want to replace it with...surprise!...the same provisions to stop insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions.  The difference is the Republicans want 100% of the credit for it.  Same provision, same benefit, just a different party.

Bunch of swell guys, huh?