Biden to unveil universal healthcare plan in Iowa

10/23/2007

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) – Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden is set to announce a universal healthcare plan in Des Moines Tuesday that will include provisions to fight discrimination based on genetic information, according to details provided to CNN.

The Delaware senator is expected to call for prohibiting employers and insurance companies from obtaining or using genetic information when making hiring decisions, providing health coverage, or pricing insurance policies.

Biden's proposal–dubbed the "CARE" plan–is expected to include four "essential steps to lay the foundation for universal healthcare," all of which fit into the acronym CARE: "Cover all children, access for adults, reinsurance for catastrophic cases, and encouraging prevention and modernization."

Also expected in his plan: a provision to require the government to cover a majority of "catastrophic health costs."

According to the campaign, this federal reinsurance plan would reimburse employers, insurers, or associations for up to 75 percent of health costs that exceed $50,000 per individual.