Domestic Violence Victims Denied Coverage by Insurance Companies; Meanwhile, Verizon Takes a Stand of its Own

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.  Read more