Insurers Fight Plan to Delete Alcohol Discrimination Law

Nevada lawmakers want to delete a state law that allows health insurers to deny claims from people injured while under the influence of alcohol, but the insurance industry is opposing the change, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported March 2.

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie (D-Reno) has introduced a bill, AB-63, that would repeal Nevada's so-called Uniform Policy Provision Law (UPPL), which permits claims to be denied when a patient has alcohol in their system. The unintended impact of the law has been to discourage emergency-room and trauma doctors from screening patients for alcohol, which could lead to treatment referrals and fewer injuries down the road. "We’re missing a golden opportunity to prevent accidents and loss of life because of this," said Timothy Coughlin, M.D., a Reno physician.

"Alcoholism is a disease; we really should remember that," said Leslie. "A diabetic who doesn't take their insulin still has their medical expenses covered. A smoker who has lung cancer still has their medical expenses covered."

Insurers, however, cast the debate in terms of personal responsibility and raised the specter of higher premium costs. "We believe the responsibility for wrongdoing must be placed upon the wrongdoer," said Janice Pine, a lobbyist for Reno's Saint Mary's Health Services.

The law discriminates against casual drinkers as well as people with addictions, said Denise Everett of Join Together Northern Nevada. For instance, a woman in Washington who had a glass of wine to celebrate her birthday before breaking her ankle was denied health coverage because she had alcohol in her system. "It is a consumer-protection issue," Everett told an Assembly panel. "You, your neighbors, anybody in the state can be impacted by this particular law."