Ga. Insurance Chief Compares People With Pre-Existing Conditions To Reckless Drivers

CATHERINE THOMPSON – DECEMBER 5, 2013, 9:08 AM EST

According to Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens, a person with a pre-existing condition applying for health insurance is like a reckless driver asking for auto collision coverage: they're both at fault.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution surfaced video Wednesday of Hudgens' appearance last month at a CSRA Republican Women's Club meeting, where the commissioner expressed concern that covering pre-existing conditions on the individual market would double insurance costs.

"And if you don't really understand what covering pre-existing conditions would be like, it would be like in Georgia we have a law that says you have to have insurance on your automobile," Hudgens said. "You have to have liability insurance. If you're going to drive on Georgia's roads, you have to have liability insurance. You don't have to have collision ... But you have to have liability."

"But say you're going along and you have a wreck. And it's your fault," he continued. "Well, a pre-existing condition would be you then calling up your insurance agent and saying, 'I would like to get collision insurance coverage on my car.' And your insurance agent says, 'Well, you never had that before. Why would you want it now?' And you say, 'Well, I just had a wreck, it was my fault and I want the insurance company to pay to repair my car.' And that's the exact same thing on pre-existing insurance."