A bill that would prohibit insurance companies from denying health insurance coverage to victims of domestic abuse was effectively killed this week by Republican committee chairman Dan Sullivan who refused to give the measure a hearing, the Democratic sponsor of the bill said today.
“Once again, the leadership of the Republican Party in the Oklahoma House of Representatives has shown that it holds the interests of insurance companies above the well-being of Oklahoma citizens,” commented Rep. Mike Brown, D-Tahlequah, House author of SB1251.
A short and simple bill, SB1251 states: “No health benefit plan shall deny a claim on the basis of the insured’s status as a victim of domestic violence.” It also says, “domestic abuse shall not be considered to be a pre-existing condition.”
The bill passed by a unanimous 45-0 vote in the Senate, where Senator Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah, was the author. Wilson told his Senate colleagues that insurance companies have already used previous incidents of domestic violence as an excuse to deny coverage in eight other states.
“Without this bill, someone who was the victim of abuse years ago could find themselves being denied health insurance coverage now,” noted Brown. “Anyone who believes it is time to put an end to abusive practices by insurance companies should be outraged by the refusal of Rep. Sullivan to allow a hearing on the bill.”
Sullivan, R-Tulsa, chairs the House Economic Development and Financial Services Committee, where the bill was assigned after arriving from the Senate.
“Based on its unanimous approval in the Senate, it’s hard to understand Rep. Sullivan’s actions,” mused Brown. “Here is a bill that had total bipartisan support in the Senate. Why then do we see such extreme partisanship when it arrives in the House? We would really like to know why.”
“This is the same committee chairman that killed Nick’s Law, which would require insurance companies to provide coverage for victims of autism. That’s another idea that has the support of the overwhelming majority of Oklahomans, according to every poll I’ve seen,” Brown continued.