[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24184]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



      AMERICA WANTS HMO REFORM THAT PUTS PATIENTS AHEAD OF PROFITS

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, the American public has consistently called 
for HMO reforms that put patients ahead of profits. Just as we are 
about to debate the bipartisan Patients' Bill of Rights, the Republican 
leadership and the insurance industry have set traps to weaken and kill 
sensible patient protections.
  Earlier this week, the Republican leadership held a fund-raiser with 
insurance industry lobbyists, the most rabid opponents of HMO reform, 
and filled their pockets with campaign donations. Their motives are 
transparent: set traps for HMO reform and collect checks from the 
insurance industry. The Republican leadership is displaying upside-down 
values that put campaign favors ahead of HMO reform.
  Mr. Speaker, I say to the Republican leadership that in this body 
rank-and-file Democrats and Republicans have come together around a 
bipartisan piece of legislation that is a good piece of health care 
reform legislation. The Republican leadership in this House is 
attempting to thwart the will of the Democrats and the Republicans 
here, and thwart the will of the American people that wants access to 
emergency rooms and specialty care, that wants to have prescription 
drugs, and that allows them to sue an HMO if they have proceeded 
irresponsibly.

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