Domestic Violence Victims Denied Coverage by Insurance Companies; Meanwhile, Verizon Takes a Stand of its Own
Filed under: Private Insurance, Proposed Legislation
The thought of it might have kept Michelle Obama awake at night, but it’s a real issue that happens more often than is recognized. Insurance companies can deny coverage to men and women who have been victims of domestic violence. They often do. Through detailing the story of a 52-year-old attorney who was denied health insurance due to a past incidence of domestic violence, a recent article by Kaiser Health News helps to illustrate the prevalence of such practices among insurance providers.
Last Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed the treatment of domestic violence as a pre-existing condition before Congress. She said that Democrats were no longer going to accept this practice and promised that such would be banned in forthcoming health care reform legislation. Another Democrat engaged in the fight is Senator Patty Murray of Washington, who is a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. In 2006, Murray attempted the same type of reform by introducing an amendment to ban domestic violence as a pre-existing condition; the amendment did not pass. One of the “no” votes came from Senator Michael Enzi of Wyoming. He’s still on the HELP Committee and sits there now as its highest ranking Republican.
Some states have already taken the matter into their own hands, but 8 states and the District of Columbia still do not disallow insurance companies to reject coverage to men and women who have been victimized by domestic violence. But even in those states that have passed legislation prohibiting the practice, insurance companies are said to often initially reject past victims seeking insurance in the individual market. For insurance companies, the practice is, in economic terms, “reasonable,” as those who have been subject to domestic violence in the past are more likely to be subjected to such in the future– and are therefore more likely to require costly medical services– including emergency room visits.
What such “economically reasonable” insurer policies do not calculate, however, is the adverse impact on domestic violence prevention. Or perhaps they do. The chilling effect such practices have is notable. Men and women who are in abusive relationships may no longer consult doctors for treatment or speak of the abuse to enforcement officers for fear of losing their health insurance. In addition to losing coverage for themselves, they could also lose it for their children. Such worries are sure to keep women who might be able to prevent future violence from getting the help they need. But of course, a practice which keeps an insured too afraid to visit a doctor or an emergency room and/or a police station translates into fewer medical claim payouts and increased insurer profits.
In spite of (or maybe in part because of) insurance company practices which tend towards the punishment of those who come forward to report domestic violence , Verizon has emerged as a corporate leader in trying to prevent what it calls the “silent epidemic” of domestic violence.  Observing that domestic violence is the single greatest cause of injury to women between the ages of 15-44, Verizon has pledged to help in stopping the violence. Their work on the issue includes giving women in domestic violence relationships recycled cell phones preprogrammed to automatically connect them to the National Domestic Violence hotline.
In addition, in recognition of the difficulties which may ensue after instances of violence and abuse have been reported, Verizon recently announced that it was pairing up with Seton Hall University School of Law to do something more about it. The Verizon Public Interest Fellowship Program was established through a $90,000 starter grant from the Verizon Foundation and is a collaborative effort to provide free legal services to low-income victims of domestic violence and to create a team of knowledgeable and experienced attorneys dedicated to helping those affected by domestic violence. The Program, which also features extensive collaborations with legal and social service agencies, employs an innovative training component designed to prepare law students for their Fellowship experience as they are trained in family law as well as the social and psychological needs of clients exposed to partner violence. In addition to legal services, those affected by domestic violence will receive financial literacy and employment resources to assist them with rebuilding their lives.
One need not be B.F. Skinner to figure out which course of response– the punitive actions of the health insurers, or the empowering actions of Verizon– will lead to increased reportage, and the ultimate decrease of domestic violence.
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The travesty this story highlights makes me really mad - why do we constantly seem to punish those who have the courage to stand up to their abusers???? Madness!!