The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes provisions barring health insurance providers from denying coverage on the basis of salary, pre-existing conditions, or age.

Section 2716 of the bill prevents group health plan sponsors from basing eligibility on employees’ total hourly or annual salary, while Section 2704 prohibits health insurance providers from excluding coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions. Section 2705 lists a number of health status-related factors that cannot be used to deny coverage, including claims experience, medical history, genetic information and evidence of insurability.

Section 1557 stipulates that individuals cannot be denied benefits through any program receiving federal funding on grounds established by a variety of anti-discrimination laws.

In a dramatic party-line vote, the Senate passed its version of health care reform. "Under it, insurers could not deny coverage because of a person's medical condition; could not charge higher premiums because of a person's sex or health status; and could not rescind coverage when a person became sick or disabled," the New York Times reports.

The House passed its health care reform bill, which would ban insurance companies from denying coverage or dropping patients due to health conditions.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved America's Affordable Health Choices Act, which would bar insurance companies from denying coverage or increasing premiums based on a pre-existing condition, race, age or gender.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved the Affordable Health Choices Act, which would prohibit insurers from establishing terms of coverage based on pre-existing conditions or medical history.