[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13979]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    MANAGED CARE DISCHARGE PETITION

  (Mr. GEPHARDT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, instead of addressing the crisis of health 
care in our Nation, we keep finding excuse after excuse to block 
progress on this issue.
  Let us stop the delay. We have a road map for reforming HMO care, the 
Democratic Patients' Bill of Rights.
  There is not a one of us who would choose an MBA over an M.D. when it 
comes to our family's medical health, but that is exactly what has 
happened to our health care system. We have taken the power away from 
those who know and care about saving lives and we have given it to 
people whose priority is simply making money.
  It needs to change, and that change can begin today.
  I ask every Member on both sides of the aisle to join me in signing 
this petition to make sure that the needs of America's families are not 
pushed aside yet again, and to make sure we fulfill our responsibility 
to working families and prevent them from worrying about whether their 
children will get the care they need and deserve for another year.
  Let us stop the obstruction, let us sign the petition, and let us get 
to work.




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