31.   Insurers are raising rates and denying coverage in part because they fear another major hurricane.

32.   Instead, they focus on giving patients the right to sue for damages when their health plan denies coverage for necessary treatments.

33.   Insurance companies will use genetic information to deny coverage to those with the potential for disease, and employers will not hire them.

34.   Insurers would be barred from denying coverage to those workers, even if they had pre-existing medical problems.

35.   It guarantees that patients who are denied coverage can refer the dispute to an outside panel of medical experts.

36.   It would make it harder for insurers to deny someone coverage on the basis of his or her medical condition.

37.   It would protect the group health coverage of workers when they change jobs, limiting the ability of insurers to deny coverage of preexisting medical conditions.

38.   Its most significant proposal would allow patients to appeal decisions denying coverage to an independent third party.

39.   J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America, said it made sense for insurance companies to deny coverage because of a dangerous dog.

40.   Jennings said there was little clear evidence that insurers had been denying coverage or raising rates based on genetic histories.