Attacks mount on preexisting conditions

Rules that exclude patients from insurance coverage for a preexisting condition is one of the thorniest, and most reviled, parts of commercial health insurance. Ending it could make insurance more expensive but the country seems poised to make the change. President Obama told the nation that "healthcare reform cannot wait," and vowed "quality affordable healthcare for every American." A key to accomplishing this, Obama said repeatedly during his campaign, is eliminating preexisting-condition exclusions that deny coverage to countless Americans.