Senate Proceeding on Jun 19th, 2009 :: 5:09:45 to 5:17:05
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5:09:25 to 5:09:46( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: or or download this c-span podcast. >> now a house hearing on business practices that made insurance companies to cancel or deny health insurance, will hear the stories individual policies were canceled while they were dealing with serious medical followed by a panel of health

5:09:45 to 5:17:05( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Bart Stupak

5:09:47 to 5:10:07( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: insurance partis tupac of michigan the subcommittee on oversight, this is about three hours. >> the hearing will c order. today we have a hearing entitled termination of individual

5:10:08 to 5:10:30( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: policies by insurance companies. the chairman, the ranking member and chairman emeritus will have five minutes for opening statement and other members will be recognized for three minutes. before we begin i'm going to ask unanimous consent the contents of our document binder be entered into the record provided that theo? committee staff may redact any information business

5:10:31 to 5:10:51( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: proprietary relates to pricy concerns or law answer seven. without objection, the documents will be entered into the record and will ask that a copy of a document either be placed at the front table in case witnesses wish to refer to it. i'm going to begin opening statement, i will start with my opening statement for five minutes.

5:10:52 to 5:11:13( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: every night across america than 45 million americans go to sleep without health insurance coverage. they do so in fear of a nightmare scenario of developing a catastrophic illness and being unable to pay for treatment. is this fear that has caused many hard-working americans were not coved by an employer or government sponsored health care plan to purchase individual

5:11:14 to 5:11:35( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: health-insurance policies. for those americans fortunate enough to afford individual coverage on not immune from the nightmare scenario, because in practice called health insurance rescission. here is what happe victim of decision. auto rads was a 59 year-old auto owner was a cross with an aggressive form of non hodgkin's

5:11:36 to 5:11:58( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. he underwent intensive chemotherapy and was told that he had to have a stem cell transplants in order to survive. with coverage provided by his individual insurance policy he was scheduled to have the procedure performed but then his insurance company said and i told him it was going to cancel his insurance he cannot pay for the transplant

5:11:59 to 5:12:21( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: without health insurance. the stem cell transplant surgery was canceled. the insurance company told that it found when he applied for his insurance he had not told the company about a test that had shown that he might have gallstones and an aneurysm or weakness of the blood vessel wall. in fact, his doctor had never told him about these

5:12:22 to 5:12:43( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: results,e did not have any symptoms and these conditions do not have anything to do with his cancer of the interest company was going to rescind his policy. effectively tearing up the contract as it never happened and it would not pay stem cell transplants. he made a desperate plea to the illinois attorney general's office seeking help to get his insurance company to reverse its decision.

5:12:44 to 5:13:04( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: he told them and i quote -- i was diagnosed win, here it is a matter of extreme urgency that i receive my transplant in three weeks. this is an urgent matter. please tell me so i transplant scheduled from any delay could threaten my life. the illinois attorney general's office launched an investigation and confirmed that his doctor

5:13:05 to 5:13:25( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: had never even told him about the test findings and sent two letters to press the insurance company to reinstate his policy. the company relented and he received his stem cell transplants. use able to live three more years before passing away earlier this year. he was one of the lucky ones -- this committee has concluded an investigation into the practice

5:13:26 to 5:13:47( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: of health insurance rescission and results are alarming. over the past five years almost 20,000 policyholders have had their policies presented by three insurance companies who will testify today, assurance, united he per my review of case files of the committee has identified a

5:13:48 to 5:14:08( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: variety of abuses by insurance companies including conducting investigation with an eye toward a decision in ery case in which a policyholder simmons a claim relating to leukemia, breast cancer or in any of a list of 1400 serious or costly medical rescinding policies based on alleged failure to disclose the health condition entirely

5:14:09 to 5:14:30( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: unrelated to the policyholders current medical problem. rescinding policies based on policyholders failure to disclose a medical condition after doctors never told about. rescinding policies based on is a mistake by policyholders and applications in rescinding coverage for all families -- for rescinding coverage for all

5:14:31 to 5:14:52( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: members of a family of a summit million to disclose medical condition of one family member. investigation has also found that at least one insurance company wellpoint evaluated employee performance based in part on the amount of money is simply s retroactive decisions of other insurance policies. according to documents obtained

5:14:53 to 5:15:14( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: by the committee, one wellpoint officials was awarded it risk for perfmance. based on having said the company nearly $10 million through recessions. these practices revealed that when an insurance company receives a claim for inexpensive, life-saving treatment, some of them will look for a way, any way to avoid

5:15:15 to 5:15:36( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: having to pay for it. this is eerily similar to what we found last year in an investigation of long-term care health insurance policies where unscrupulous sales people would sell policies to seniors and then change or revoke the policies once literally was locked into a plan and making payments. recission practices are new that

5:15:37 to 5:15:57( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: they are entirely legal and to an extent they are. but that point of insurance, when times are good the insurance company is happy to sign you up and take ur money in the form of premiums but when times are bad and you're afflicted with cancer or some other life-threatening disease it is supposed to honor its commitments and stand with you in your time of need their

5:15:58 to 5:16:19( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: in itead of some of these companies use a technicality to justify breaking its promise at a time when patients are too weak to fight back. i also complement the staff on a supplemental information regarding individual health-insurance market, it is attached to my opening statement will be part of the record. to date we will hear from

5:16:20 to 5:16:40( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: victims of this practice of recisions as well as three of the leading companies that engage in it. we hope to learn about this problem so that we in congress perhaps there is a comprehensive national health care reform bill can curb abuses and put an end to this unconscionable practice once and for all. i would le to turn to my ranking memberr. walden from

5:16:41 to 5:17:01( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: oregon for an opening statement. >> thank oversight hearing in the house about the insurance companies to cancel or deny health insurance. we hope to show you more of this letter -- you can see it on c-span 2 board. now back to the senate as senators remain in a quorum call.

5:17:02 to 5:17:06( Edit History Discussion )

Bart Stupak: if i had a short recess. and they are officially still in session and we return to our