[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 19183]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        CONGRESS MUST PASS A MEANINGFUL PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, for the past 2 years the American people 
have consistently asked for reasonable health care reforms that put 
those decisions back in the hands of doctors and patients and out of 
the hands of insurance company bureaucrats. People want to be able to 
choose their own doctor, to have access to the nearest emergency room, 
to see a specialist when necessary, to be free from HMO gag rules that 
prevent doctors from discussing treatment options for them, and to have 
the right to hold HMOs accountable for their decisions.
  This Congress can and should pass these reforms now. The Members of 
this body who are doctors, whether Democrats or Republicans, almost all 
agree that these measures will benefit patients, make our health system 
stronger.
  In the past year, thousands of Medicare recipients have been dropped 
by their HMOs. Millions of Americans have health care without basic 
coverage protections. We must pass a meaningful Patients' Bill of 
Rights. It must reflect our values for quality health care in this 
country. If we do, we can once again make the doctor's office a place 
for medical decisions.

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