[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 27, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H3623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS WILL NOT GENERATE LAWSUITS

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to hear this 
controversy being expressed as we cannot do this and we cannot do that. 
Although I am here to talk about the Patients' Bill of Rights, I 
believe that the industry recognizes that something must be done to 
help Americans with the energy crisis, and I believe cooler heads would 
welcome the opportunity to put a moratorium on pricing.
  But, Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about the misrepresentation of the 
Patients' Bill of Rights by its opponents, and I want to say there is 
no evidence that the insured will sue employers recklessly. There is no 
evidence that there will be frivolous lawsuits by those who are 
insured. I know because I come from the State of Texas that has had a 
Patients' Bill of Rights for almost 5 years.
  There is evidence that the Patients' Bill of Rights, the Ganske-
Dingell bill, will provide every American the right to choose their own 
doctors and restore the patient and physician relationship, that it 
will cover all Americans with employer-based health care insurance, 
that it features all external reviews of medical decisions conducted by 
independent and qualified physicians and not HMO bureaucrats, that it 
will hold HMOs accountable. That is the evidence. We need to pass a 
real Patients' Bill of Rights.

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