Loophole in New Health Care Reform Bill
LEMON: Let's talk now about health care. A backlash sparked by CNN reporting has Democrats in Washington backtracking. It's all about a loophole added in private to a Senate health care bill. The provision puts a cap on how much insurance coverage you can receive in a single year. It caught the eye of advocates for cancer patient who quickly got the attention of White House and congressional staffers. Here's our congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar.</s>SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: If you're a citizen of the United States and you get sick, you ought not to be shoved into bankruptcy.</s>BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a frequent call of top Democrats as they push to overhaul the nation's health system. One of the ways they have said they would protect Americans was by stopping an insurance company practice of limiting a patient's insurance coverage both over a lifetime and annually. In November, the House passed a bill that would do just that, but in the bill now up for debate on the Senate floor, under the section that plainly states "no lifetime or annual limits," it says insurance companies may not establish unreasonable annual limits. That one word, "unreasonable," opens up a loophole for insurance companies to cap annual benefits. (on camera): What does unreasonable mean?</s>STEPHEN FINAN, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: We have no idea. And that is part of the problem.</s>KEILAR (voice-over): At midday Friday, when we talked to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network, they were up in arms about the change, worried it would cost patients.</s>FINAN: A stage three colon cancer case can cost over $200,000. That's obviously a lot of money. What happens if the annual limit is $100,000?</s>KEILAR: We asked Senator Tom Harkin, the chairman of the Senate Health Committee. (on camera): I mean, what is this going to mean for, say, the colon cancer patient whose bills top $200,000 a year?</s>SEN. TOM HARKIN (D-IA), HEALTH COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Well, again, one of the compromises we had to make -- we do have no lifetime caps, and we put in there no unreasonable annual caps.</s>KEILAR: But what does that mean?</s>HARKIN: Well, that's going to be developed by the secretary of Health and Human Services.</s>KEILAR (on camera): After this story aired on CNN the White House and key congressional staffers spoke with the Cancer Action Network and agreed to close this loophole. But now, without the caps, Democrats find themselves in the difficult situation of trying to keep down the costs of premiums for all Americans, the very reason why they put this loophole in the Senate bill to begin with. Brianna Keilar, CNN, Capitol Hill.</s>LEMON: All right. We have seen this in smaller U.S. cities, but never a city as big as Houston, Texas. It could make history tonight. We're looking at the headquarters of Annise Parker. She is a candidate for mayor in that city. If she wins, she will be the first openly gay mayor of a major city, Houston, Texas. We are standing by for results, and they are very close we are told. Also, heavy rain along the Gulf Coast causing flooding tonight. In and around New Orleans, our Jacqui Jeras is monitoring the storm's path and watching weather across the country. Also ahead tonight --</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a really cheap investment to grow, to be able to legally grow 63 cannabis plants in a market that's been determined by the illicit drug market.</s>LEMON: That young man wants to grow medical marijuana. He wants to do it legally. His mom is helping him out. We'll pay a visit to Colorado pot farm.