[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 21, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H5969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              MANAGED CARE

  (Mrs. CLAYTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, the way that Americans choose and obtain 
and pay their physician has changed drastically over the last 10 years.
  Ten years ago, less than 30 percent of the people with health care 
insurance coverage were in managed care programs. Today, approximately 
75 percent of insured employees are covered by managed care plans. A 
large amount of that 75 percent is questioning whether they are served 
well by that system.
  The result is a health care system which is dominated by economic 
tools, limited budgets, limited hospital budgets, waiting hospital 
lines, waiting lines also with the managed care program. Many managed 
care constraints now limit what we can do.
  Our goal must be to provide health care with increased health care 
coverage for this country. This is a national challenge. In Congress, 
we need to meet that challenge.
  Supporting H.R. 3605, the Patients' Bill of Rights Act, is a first 
step in achieving health care reform. This bill will allow patients and 
doctors, not the insurance company, to control the length of stay, the 
quality of care. Mr. Speaker, I encourage you and my colleagues to join 
me in supporting of this bill.

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