When Getting Beaten By Your Husband Is A Pre-Existing Condition

[marmar]

from HuffPost:



Ryan Grim
[e-mail] | HuffPost

When Getting Beaten By Your Husband Is A Pre-Existing Condition
First Posted: 09-14-09 01:36 PM | Updated: 09-17-09 11:21 AM


With the White House zeroing in on the insurance-industry practice of discriminating against clients based on pre-existing conditions, administration allies are calling attention to how broadly insurers interpret the term to maximize profits.

It turns out that in eight states, plus the District of Columbia, getting beaten up by your spouse is a pre-existing condition.

Under the cold logic of the insurance industry, it makes perfect sense: If you are in a marriage with someone who has beaten you in the past, you're more likely to get beaten again than the average person and are therefore more expensive to insure.

In human terms, it's a second punishment for a victim of domestic violence.

In 2006, Democrats tried to end the practice. An amendment introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), now a member of leadership, split the Health Education Labor & Pensions Committee 10-10. The tie meant that the measure failed. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/14/when-getting-beaten-by-yo_n_286029.html

[SPedigrees]

1. yeast infections and gall stones have passed as pre-existing conditions too. nt