A bill passed by the Assembly Tuesday would change the way insurance companies cover pre-existing health conditions for their policyholders.?

The bill would require insurance companies to ask clients no more than 10 pages of uniform questions when they are applying for coverage and would prevent insurance companies from denying insurance to policyholders who have been diagnosed or treated for a pre-existing condition within 12 months before the effective date of coverage.?

Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville, praised the passage of the bill.?

“All too often, insurance companies use unfair or extreme pre-existing condition clauses to refuse coverage, forcing patients, families — or state taxpayers — to pay huge medical bill to get necessary care,” Sheridan said in a statement. “Legislation passed today … grants Wisconsinites access to the health care they need — and the coverage they expect from their insurance providers.”?

Sheridan added he believes the bill will help Wisconsin families save money, a necessary provision given the state’s current economic conditions.?

Rep. Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, said he disagrees with Sheridan. The additional regulations on health insurance included in the bill will likely cause small businesses to stop offering health care to their employees, Huebsch added.

“Essentially what we’re going to do… is we’re going to continue to drive up the costs of health care for small businesses and prevent small business from offering health care,” Huebsch said.

The Assembly passed the bill by a margin of 61 to 38, with Republicans largely voting against the measure.?

This is the third health care reform bill passed by the Assembly over the last week.?

Last week, legislators passed a bill aimed at ensuring children with hearing loss have access to cochlear implants while easing the costs of the implants on both families and taxpayers.?

Lawmakers also passed a bill creating a “no fee” temporary permit for dental providers that meet state licensing requirements and want to volunteer their time to provide dental care to those who need it.