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Oklahoma
State Senate
For Immediate Release: March
10, 2008 Senate Democrat Insurance ‘Reform’
Bill Would Force Senate Bill 2114, a key component of the Senate Democrats’ 2008 legislative agenda, would force insurance companies to pay for sex change operations and cosmetic surgeries for any patient who could get a “health care professional” to declare the procedure is “medically necessary.” Senate Bill 2114, by Democrat Sen. Jim Wilson, would mandate that insurance companies cover all medical procedures so long as a “health care professional” declares the procedure “medically necessary.” The bill failed last week to garner the 25 votes needed for passage, but Senate Democrat leaders said they plan to bring the bill up for reconsideration this week. “This bill would cause insurance premiums to skyrocket by forcing insurers to pay for every procedure under the sun,” said Sen. Todd Lamb, R-Edmond/Oklahoma City. “SB 2114 is so vaguely written that it would force health insurance policyholders to subsidize procedures like sex change operations, facelifts, tummy tucks, and nose jobs. It is surprising that Senate Democrats would throw their support behind such craziness,” he said. For example, Lamb noted that a psychologist or psychiatrist could claim a patient is a “woman trapped in a man’s body,” and that a sex change operation is “medically necessary” to preserve the patient’s mental health. Under SB 2114’s provisions, an insurance company would be required to pay for the sex change operation. Insurance premiums for all policyholders would rise to subsidize the costs of such procedures. Wilson, SB 2114’s author, admitted on the Senate floor Thursday that his bill would require insurance companies to pay for cosmetic surgeries. “I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to oppose Senate Bill 2114, because it will be an economic disaster if it becomes law,” Lamb concluded. For more information contact:
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