As the nation focuses on ways to improve our health care system during National Cover the Uninsured Week, a bill that could gut your health insurance is making its way through the U.S. Senate. The bill, S. 1955, would allow health insurers to bypass state requirements for minimum benefits. That means it could eliminate key benefits in your coverage, including cancer screenings, contraception, emergency services, mental health care and diabetic supplies. Stop S. 1955 from gutting your health insurance. Tell your senators to oppose the bill. Every state has written specific health protections into its laws, requiring insurance companies to cover certain necessary services. S. 1955, pushed by Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi (R), would allow insurers to jack up prices for services they’re now required to cover—or eliminate coverage for them altogether. The Enzi bill would encourage discrimination, letting insurers raise premiums based on your age, your gender, your health status and more. It would price the elderly and the sick out of the insurance market, taking health care coverage away from those who need it most. Don’t let Congress cut your benefits and raise your premiums. Tell your senators to oppose S. 1955. The Enzi bill panders to powerful corporate special interests. It gives insurance companies broad new powers to decide what plans to offer and what benefits to cover. It overrides your state’s ability to enact basic patient protections. And it subjects small businesses to unaffordable rates. S. 1955 is a bad deal for everyone but the insurance companies, which gave more money to federal candidates in the last election cycle than oil and gas companies gave, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Take action today and stop this bill from cutting health care benefits. |