The House passed a bill in late March that would allow workers to take their health insurance from job to job and guarantee coverage for pre-existing medical conditions under most circumstances. It still faces a tough battle in the Senate before it would become law and opposition from the insurance industry. In a letter to Rep. Thomas Bliley, R-VA, chairman of the House Commerce Committee, ADA President William Ten Pas urged that the bill include protections for patients, including quality-assurance measures and consumer choice of providers. "Without meaningful protections, consumers will not be empowered to make the informed purchasing decisions necessary for the marketplace to work," he wrote.
Judi Hasson
Washington Correspondent
