[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 9, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H3871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              PATIENT RIGHT TO PEDIATRIC CARE ACT OF 1999

  (Mr. SHERWOOD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. SHERWOOD. Madam Speaker, a long journey must begin with a single 
step. I rise to tell my colleagues that we have taken a small but 
important first step towards improving health care access for children.
  I introduced the Patient Right to Pediatric Care Act this week to 
assure parents that they can choose a pediatrician as their child's 
primary care provider. I am not a doctor, but I am a father. And one of 
the things I have learned as a parent is that the health care needs of 
children differ greatly from those of adults.
  Some health care groups prudently limit access to certain 
specialists. But a pediatrician's skill in caring for children is 
unique. I believe that parents must be allowed to decide if their 
child's routine health care should be provided by a physician who 
specializes in pediatrics.
  My legislation is one of several bills which will make up the Health 
Care Quality and Access Act, a responsible approach to health care 
reform, which Members on both sides of the aisle can and should 
support.

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