[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 15, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H5504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          MANAGED CARE REFORM

  (Mr. GREEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GREEN. Mr. Speaker, I find it ironic that the same people that 
preached and lectured this Congress about the importance of personal 
responsibility and accountability for one's actions during the welfare 
reform bill are taking the opposite position on managed care reform.
  This is really about the same thing: being accountable for the 
decisions we make. We should be responsible for our actions, whether 
one is a Member of Congress voting, a welfare recipient looking for 
work, or an HMO deciding not to pay for a test or a procedure that the 
doctor says is medically necessary.
  Why should HMOs be given preferential treatment and held to a 
different standard than the doctors they employ or the patient that 
they are supposed to serve?
  The Republican managed care bill will not hold HMOs accountable when 
they make these medical decisions.
  One thing this decision does is clearly define where everyone stands 
on the issue. We should be fighting for a bill that requires timely 
internal and external appeals; access to specialists or special needs; 
point of service choice for employees and the patients; open 
communication between patients and their doctors; no gag rule; and 
accountability of the medical decision-maker. We need real health care 
reform, not a false hope.

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