[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 6 (Wednesday, February 4, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                         PATIENT BILL OF RIGHTS

  (Mr. BROWN of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, there is a bipartisan coalition 
formed in Congress to pass a patient bill of rights to curb abuses from 
health maintenance organizations, from HMOs. This bill would give 
people the right to know all their medical options, not just the 
cheapest: the right to choose the doctor they wanted for the care they 
need, the right to emergency room care wherever and whenever one needs 
it, and the right to keep medical records confidential.
  A majority of Congress, almost all the Democrats and a fairly large 
number of Republicans, support the bill. So what is the problem? The 
problem is Speaker Gingrich, Republican leadership in this House, 
Republican leadership in the other body and the insurance industry. Not 
so long ago there was a memo passed around from one of the top 
Republican leaders in the other body talking about opposing this 
legislation and he said, quote, get off your butt, get off your 
wallets. He talked about spending money and raising money from 
insurance companies, spending that money to defeat this bipartisan 
legislation. Again, Mr. Speaker, it is the right thing to do. It is too 
bad the Republican leadership will not get out of the way and let the 
House pass it.

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