WASHINGTON – Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Joe Barton, R-Texas, today made the following statement during the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing entitled, “Insured But Not Covered: The Problem of Underinsurance”:
“We on both sides of the aisle believe it is time to reform our health care system. It is just as obvious that part of that reform should be insurance reform. Myself and Mr. Green and Mr. Stupak and others offered an amendment on transparency in the health care system, which would include insurance companies. In underinsurance, there’s nothing more important than providing transparency so individuals know what coverage they’re really getting and that companies are upfront about what coverage they’re providing and what caps are before the fact. It’s terrible to find out after the fact, like Mr. Null found out that what he thought was a catastrophic policy really wasn’t, or at least didn’t cover his daughter.
“I think this is a good hearing. It is a part of the record that needs to be made. I do want to say in response to what Chairman Waxman said that in the overall effort for health care reform, I do not believe the solution is a mandatory coverage requirement for individuals. Some individuals will be impacted in a very negative way by being mandated that they have to carry it. If we can get transparency, competition and reform across the board, then if you’re not covered at work and you want a private plan, and we have some of these pools, you’ll be able to choose from plans and know what you’re getting.
“I have nothing but respect for the witnesses today who are going to given their case histories because they are very moving. I hope that a good thing will come out of this that we’ll create a bipartisan consensus on some of the things that need to be done to reform the disingenuity in the private insurance market for plans like these folks have had to bear.
“Thank you, Mr. Stupak.”
Barton also inserted his written statement for the record:
“Thank you, Chairman Stupak. Over the past few months this committee has investigated a number of issues as part of Congress’ efforts to reform the health care system. We have heard deeply personal stories from many Americans, and today is no exception. I want to thank Mr. David Null from Garland, Texas—just down the road from my own district—for appearing before this committee today. I also want to thank Mr. Nathan Wilkes and Ms. Catherine Howard for their testimony today.
“I want to extend to all of you my very best wishes and I want you to know how much we appreciate your testimony today. You will be speaking not just for you and your family, but for the many Americans who worry about the very thing you have been through. This worry—that if you get sick, your insurance will not be there for you—reminds me of the hearing we had this past summer on the practice of rescinding policies by insurance companies in the individual market.
“Today we will hear from Texas native David Null. No one should have to go through what his family has been through: when his daughter was seven years old she was perfectly healthy on a Friday, and in a coma by Tuesday. She needed a liver transplant immediately. He thought his insurance would cover the surgery. In fact, he had specifically sought out and been sold a policy that was represented to him as covering a catastrophic event like this. Instead, he was told in the hospital that the policy had capped out after only a few days.
“Ms. Catherine Howard’s story reminds me of a good friend of this Committee, Ms. Robin Beaton. Everyone here will remember how Robin had her insurance policy rescinded days before she was supposed to undergo a double mastectomy. Similarly, Ms. Howard thought her insurance would cover her breast cancer treatment, but she found herself being asked to write a check for her care on the day of her surgery. Eventually she would wind up $100,000 in debt.
“Situations like these led to the Robin Beaton Amendment to Rep. DeLauro’s breast cancer bill last year. This prohibits the rescissions of health insurance for the inadvertent omission of information, and can protect people like Ms. Beaton and Ms. Howard in the future. My amendment passed the House last year, but died in the Senate. It has been reintroduced and hopefully it will pass this year.
“I understand that there is another side to this story. I understand that the insurers will claim that the policies they sold explicitly detailed what would and would not be covered. Still, I reiterate my call for companies to have open and clear disclosures about what their policies will cover, expressed in terms that do not require a law degree or a medical license to decipher. The rule for everyone involved in health insurance should be this one: ‘No surprises.’
“This is an important hearing, Mr. Chairman, and I thank you for holding it.”
