Health Insurers Offer to Accept All Applicants, on Conditions

The health insurance industry said last week they would support a medical insurance overhaul requiring them to accept all types of customers regardless of pre-existing conditions. But in return they want congress to mandate medical insurance coverage. Without the mandate, insurers are affraid people will wait until their sick to buy medical insurance. The proposal was absent of two important issues: how to mandate coverage and how to regulate insurance prices and premiums. While insurers would be require to sell health plans to everyone there is no guarantee it would be affordable medical insurance. Members of Congress also said last year they plan on passing legislation to expand coverage and rein in health care costs. The new position taken by the health care association could ease the way for such legislation to pass. The same industry halted President Bill Clinton’s plan for universal health coverage in 1994. President elect-Obama’s medical insurance plan would only mandate children to have insurance. This is the biggest difference with the association’s plan which would require everyone. Obama said in debates with Senator Hillary Clinton that he wanted to make sure that coverage was affordable and available to all before creating a mandate for medical insurance. Insurers turn down about 10 percent of applicants because of pre-existing medical conditions.