[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 19184]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      THE PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS

  (Ms. SLAUGHTER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I am continually amazed by the 
misinformation spread about the Patients' Bill of Rights. I know the 
businesses in my district believe this Patients' Bill of Rights would 
allow enrollees to sue their employers for denied benefits, but nothing 
could be further from the truth. In fact, the Patients' Bill of Rights 
contains explicit provisions stating that employers cannot be sued for 
decisions made by health insurers.
  I hope that the American people this time will see through the 
smokescreen being thrown up by too many groups who have too much 
interest in killing this legislation. The more time goes by, we risk 
losing this opportunity altogether. The powerful forces lined up 
against this legislation will accept another delay to give them the 
chance to marshall their forces.
  We have plenty of time to pass an irresponsible tax cut, time to 
prevent the Department of Labor from protecting people against 
workplace injuries, time to name buildings and courthouses, but 
evidently we do not have the time to protect the very lives and limbs 
of our constituents.
  After this Friday, this Chamber is out of session for 36 days. How 
many of those days will we fritter away on sound bites and legislation 
designed for special groups?

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