[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  STOP STALLING ON PATIENT PROTECTIONS

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                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 7, 1998

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the words of A.G. 
Newmyer III with my colleagues. Mr. Newmyer is the Chairman of the Fair 
Care Foundation, a consumer advocacy organization working to protect 
people's access to affordable, quality health care, and a national 
board member of the Epilepsy Foundation.
  This week he participated in an event with Senators Kennedy, Durbin 
and Torricelli to urge that the Senate quit stalling on the issue on 
patients' rights. His words bear repeating and so I have attached his 
statement from that event.
  I agree with Mr. Newmyer. Passage of federal consumer protection 
standards for managed care is past due. The leadership's tactics to 
thwart passage meaningful reform this year are unconscionable. This is 
not an issue that is going away and I look forward to continuing to 
work with Mr. Newmyer and other consumer advocates to achieve federal 
patient protections.

                     Statement of A.G. Newmyer III

       Good morning. My name is Newmyer and I'm here on behalf of 
     the 2.5 million Americans who have seizure disorders, and 
     their families. Some of these folks are well known to you--
     former Congressman Tony Coelho, Representative Neil 
     Abercrombie, Congressman Hoyer's late wife. Others are total 
     strangers--like me. And a couple hundred people on the Hill 
     either have epilepsy or someone in their family does, but you 
     don't know about it because stigma and fear keep these folks 
     in the closet.
       The Epilepsy Foundation urges passage of strong patients' 
     rights legislation. Today's health insurance system is a 
     mean-spirited, predatory mess. But it's far worse for people 
     with special medical needs.
       Those of you who cover this debate may recall that Tracy 
     Buccholz from MN was the first public witness before the 
     President's commission on health care. Tracy has epilepsy and 
     led a rather normal life until her health plan started 
     playing games with her life. She explained to the commission, 
     when she came to Washington to testify, that she had been 
     waiting eight months for permission to see her neurologist, 
     despite the literature and promises of her plan.
       I'd like to make three brief points this morning.
       First, the member satisfaction statistics are pure 
     nonsense. If I asked each of you how you like your life 
     insurance, you'd think I was nuts. You'd tell me that you 
     think it's fine--you never had to use it. The same thing's 
     true for the 80% of Americans who have no significant medical 
     need in any one year. I urge the press to focus on 
     satisfaction among plan participants who have faced a serious 
     medical need.
       Second, to those members who say they don't want to 
     interfere in the insurance market, let's be serious. The user 
     isn't the customer. Most patients get insurance at work and 
     have very little choice. When the person making the purchase 
     decision isn't the user of the service, it's not a market. 
     It's an anomaly. And it needs to be fixed. Now.
       Finally, I know of no other segment of our society where 
     some people elect to engaged in predatory behavior knowing 
     that the victims can't go to court. No patients want more 
     lawsuits. Patients want health plans to stop horsing around. 
     Patients want to fix a system where some people prosper by 
     denying care. The key is ERISA reform, which is why its being 
     fought so hard by for-profit managed care plans.
       I leave you with this thought. Steve Wiggins, CEO of 
     Oxford, made $29 million the year before he was fired. Last 
     year, with his company \1/2\ way down the toilet, he left 
     with $9 million in severance. The CEO of Aetna-United took 
     home $17,693,000 during the past three years.
       Do you really think those plans can't afford for people 
     with seizures to have easy access to decent care?

     

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