New Brown Proposal Threatens Everyone's Health Care
Elizabeth Warren Condemns Republican Bill Co-Sponsored By Senator Brown
Proposal would allow any employer or insurance company to deny anyone access to any health service
SOMERVILLE, MA -- Consumer advocate and U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren today said a Republican proposal that would allow any employer or insurance company to deny anyone access to any health service is irresponsible.
"This is a completely new attack that threatens everyone's health care," said Warren, of the proposal, introduced by Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) and co-sponsored by Senator Scott Brown (R-MA). "It is an irresponsible assault on the health care of every family in Massachusetts and around our country."
"I respect the solution President Obama provided last week that ensures that religious institutions are not forced to cover contraception but still makes sure women can get the health services they need. This new bill is not about any of that. This bill would allow any employer or insurance company to refuse to cover anyone for anything," Warren said.
The Blunt-Brown bill is different from previous proposals, taking an extremely broad approach that allows any employer or insurance company to claim any objection and use it to deny any health insurance coverage to anyone, for any health service. The company needs to claim only that it has a "moral conviction," an expansive term that is not defined in the proposed legislation.
"Scott Brown is on the wrong side here, standing with Washington and Republican extremists and against the people of Massachusetts - our families, our seniors, and everyone who relies on health insurance to get the care they need," said Warren. "This is a critical issue and when he ought to be putting the people of Massachusetts first, he's not."
The amendment, supported by Brown, was introduced as President Obama offered a compromise to religious institutions that were uncomfortable with offering contraceptive and other health care coverage to their employees. Supporters of the amendment wrongly claim it writes the compromise into law. In fact, it would undermine health insurance and health care, especially recently passed reforms expanding coverage.
