[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 19182]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   ENACT PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS NOW

  (Mr. STUPAK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rose just about a year ago to join my 
colleagues in offering a one minute on a proposed patients' bill of 
rights. We were discussing this topic in the House because the 
leadership of the majority, both in the House and the other body, had 
finally entered into the public discussion on adoption of a Patients' 
Bill of Rights.
  I regret to say that my optimism was misplaced. I am sorry to say 1 
year and 2 weeks later, we still have not passed the Patients' Bill of 
Rights.
  Since that time, public clamor for a real, genuine Patients' Bill of 
Rights has only grown. The public recognizes that, like the first ten 
amendments to the Constitution, there are real people and real rights 
that need to be protected. Medical decisions which affect the very 
livelihood of people and their quality of life must be made by doctors, 
in consultation with patients, not insurance accountants. Patients must 
be able to hold HMOs liable, accountable, for decisions that affect 
their lives and the quality of life, not some travesty of an internal 
review process.

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