While President Obama’s health care law continues to face strong opposition nationally, a bill recently proposed to both houses of state Legislature would keep health insurance companies from refusing clients because of pre-existing conditions.

Senator Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, and Rep. Jon Richards, D-Milwaukee, plan to introduce a companion bill to the Senate and Assembly which would keep health insurers from not accepting a customer with a pre-existing medical condition and other similar practices, according to a statement from Citizen Action of Wisconsin.

The proposal would institute many of the protections included in the Affordable Care Act into Wisconsin legislation, the statement said. Citizen Action of Wisconsin is calling the measure a “bill of rights” for Wisconsin health care consumers.

Along with prohibiting health care companies from turning down clients with pre-existing conditions, Richards said the legislation forbids companies from establishing lifetime coverage caps for potential recipients.

The proposed legislation would also require health insurance companies to cover emergency hospital visits, Richards said.

This fall, the state will likely decide whether or not to implement Obama’s national health care reform In Wisconsin, Richards said. Therefore, the purpose of this bill is to insure all citizens within the state have access to health care coverage regardless of what’s decided in Washington DC.

“These are strong protections that will benefit Wisconsin residents.” he said. “They should not be decided just on the wimp of congress or the supreme court.”

Richards said separate drafts of the companion bill will be reviewed by both the Senate and Assembly. The first bill drafted in these cases is generally the one that goes through the normal normal bill enactment process, he said, while the bill from the opposite house would be tabled.

The proposed legislation has been supported by several groups, the statement said, including Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s health, and the AARP.

Richards said he is hopeful the bill will receive support from both left and right leaning members of congress.

“Regardless of the balance of power, I would hope both Republicans and Democrats would believe the citizens of Wisconsin should have strong health care and won’t get dropped if they have a pre-existing condition,” Richards said.