Delaware Focuses on Health Coverage

Delaware Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn’s legislative agenda for 2008 again includes measures to make health insurance coverage more available and affordable for Delawareans – measures that have reportedly been blocked for three years by the insurance industry.

Regulating medical discount plans, a new way of targeting children for state health coverage protecting homeowners from having their policies cancelled and looking out for firefighters and doctors are among the other measures for the year.

Commissioner Denn’s agenda for the year includes:

Creating Access to Affordable Health Care

• Senate Bill 6, creating a statewide health insurance purchasing pool
• Senate Bill 37, allowing the Department of Insurance to regulate health insurance rates
• Senate Bill 58, allowing Insurance Department to regulate medical discount plans
• House Bill 267, allowing disabled Delawareans to purchase Medicare Supplement health insurance
• House Bill 286, using free and reduced price school lunch information to target families whose kids might be eligible for health coverage under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Protecting Homeowners

• Senate Bill 191, barring insurance companies from canceling homeowners policies because of reasonable claims.

Supporting Firefighters and Veterans

• Legislation barring auto insurance companies from canceling the policies of volunteer fire company members simply because they are volunteers.
• Legislation allowing retired doctors to work for the Veterans Administration hospital in Elsmere, where there are currently no orthopedic surgeons, without losing medical malpractice insurance coverage.