A bipartisan bill to prohibit the onerous practice of denying insurance coverage because of domestic violence wasn't heard in the state House of Representatives and a related bill is being strangled in the state Senate.
Senate Bill 1251 was held over in the Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee yesterday when the chair, Sen. Bill Brown, R-Broken Arrow, an insurance broker and shameless water carrier for the industry's worst abuses, couldn't muster enough Republican votes to strike the title (effectively guaranteeing it an unmarked grave in the legislative purgatory known as a conference committee).
The icing on the cake is that Brown last fall told a group of supportive Broken Arrow parishioners at a "town-hall" meeting that he was a defender of his clients against insurance industry abuses.
While Brown waited for Sen. Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Todd Lamb, R-Edmond, to come cast their votes, which they may do as president pro-tempore and floor leader, respectively, Wilson had to attend another committee hearing.
But Coffee and Lamb were busy debating in favor of committee passage of health care reform opt-out bills. So Brown did the only thing he could do and laid the bill over until next week -- the deadline for bills to clear committee.
There's nothing more to be said about the stunning immorality and cold number-crunching of denying insurance to someone because they have suffered from domestic abuse. Whether their injuries will be covered under their insurance or keep them from getting insurance in the future should be the last thing on their minds.
Once again, the majority party's leadership will permit not even the slightest restriction on the insurance industry's wild-west behavior.
If we can draw enough attention and shame to this practice, we may gain some momentum. Contact me if you'd like to help.
This is a community blog operated since 2006 by people dedicated to promoting and restoring progressive values in Oklahoma. A courageous band of patriots, we fight right-wing tyranny in one of the reddest of red states. Do you want to help by posting here? Do you want traffic back to your blog or site? We welcome posts written by liberals and centrist to conservative Democrats and Independents. Register above and start posting. Crossposting is allowed. Questions? Contact kurt.hochenauer@gmail.com.
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