American Heart Association Agenda Calls For Legislation To Expand Health Insurance To All U.S. Residents

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Heart Disease
Article Date: 18 Mar 2009 - 4:00 PST

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American Heart Association officials on Monday announced the 2009 agenda for the group and cited legislation to expand health insurance to all U.S. residents as one of their top priorities, CQ HealthBeat reports. According to AHA officials, such legislation should require all residents to obtain health insurance, with subsidies for low-income residents, and mandate that health insurers cannot reject applicants because of pre-existing medical conditions. AHA officials said that the group, in partnership with the American Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society, plans to present to members of the Senate Finance Committee and other lawmakers a proposal to expand preventive care services as part of such legislation.

AHA President-elect Clyde Yancy said that the group also supports increased funds for research designed to compare the effectiveness of medications and medical devices (Adams, CQ HealthBeat, 3/16). In addition, AHA supports legislation that would allow FDA to regulate tobacco products, according to group officials (Favole, Wall Street Journal, 3/17).

AHA officials added that the group plans to ask the Obama administration to expand a screening program to help prevent heart disease. The program, sponsored by the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at CDC, provides screenings and referral services to low-income women ages 40 to 64 who have risk factors for chronic diseases (CQ HealthBeat, 3/16).

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