According to Hartford Business online, the Connecticut State Government is debating on passing a bill which will mandate expanded coverage for more than six medical conditions. Such mandates would add approximately 3% to total premiums, according to insurance experts.

The six medical condition mandates for the new proposal include: ostomy-related supplies, prosthetic devices, hearing aids for children and wigs for patients who experience hair loss due to medical conditions. These mandates would cover what is typically paid for out of pocket, therefore increasing premium costs.

Senate and House bills were introduced yesterday that would ban insurance companies from keeping those with preexisting conditions from getting insurance. The bills will not allow insurance carriers to exclude patients based on preexisting conditions. It would also not allow disease-specific premiums or surcharges. The legislation is known as The Pre-existing Condition Patient Protection Act.

The bills are sponsored by Senator Jay Rockefeller of W. Virginia and Representative Joe Courtney of Connecticut. Congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama want to guarantee access to insurance for United States citizens including patients with preexisting conditions. Insurance companies exclude patients with chronic health conditions or other serious illness as well as even pregnancy in order to avoid paying for expensive medical care.

“This is a situation where the market is not going to solve the problem by itself,” Rockefeller said. “The insurance companies have always gotten away with what they can get away with.”

There are 25 million people who are underinsured and being denied health care by health insurance companies for having preexisting conditions. Over 133 million Americans have a bare minimum health plan along with a chronic condition.

The Pre-existing Condition Patient Protection Act can help insure those with preexisting conditions and chronic illnesses. This legislation is part of the plan to insure all Americans.

Yesterday, the House passed a bill to expand the children’s health insurance program. The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (or SCHIP) is a federal program that gives funds to the states to provide health insurance to families with children. The program was designed for low income families that do not qualify for Medicaid. The House vote was 289 to 139.

Similar legislation has been vetoed before by the Bush Administration but the bill that was passed yesterday would extend to cover more than 4 million uninsured children.  The bill includes an additional $33 billion to be spent to insure children over the next 4 ½ years.

President-elect Barack Obama stated after the legislation was passed:

In this moment of crisis, ensuring that every child in America has access to affordable health care is not just good economic policy, but a moral obligation we hold as parents and citizens. That is why I’m so pleased that Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives came together to provide health insurance to over ten million children whose families have been hurt most by this downturn. This coverage is critical, it is fully paid for, and I hope that the Senate acts with the same sense of urgency so that it can be one of the first measures I sign into law when I am President.

The bill would be financed by an increase in tobacco taxes, including a 61-cent increase in the tax on cigarettes, to $1 pack.

Democrats believe that the current economic state of the country calls for the expansion of children’s health insurance. Many people have lost their jobs this year, and the number of unemployed has increased by 50% since last year. When people lose their jobs, they lose their health insurance which therefore means their children don’t have health insurance.

“At a time of rising unemployment, this legislation is more important than ever,” said Representative Mike McMahon, a Democrat from New York.