[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 25163]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY, HMOS, AND THE REPUBLICANS WORK TO UNDERMINE THE 
                        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. Mr. Speaker, last week we passed a historic piece of 
legislation giving patients strong protections against HMO wrongdoing. 
We put medical decisions back where they belong, in the hands of 
doctors and patients.
  But the glow of our victory has quickly faded. Today the insurance 
industry, HMOs, and the Republican leadership are garnering their 
forces to undermine the Patients' Bill of Rights. The chairman of the 
Committee on Commerce said yesterday that the bill, and I quote, ``will 
never reach the President's desk.'' Plans are underway to bend, tear, 
and spindle these basic patient rights.
  Families with loved ones who are sick need the Patients' Bill of 
Rights. They need it now. We should begin work immediately to reconcile 
our bill with the other Chamber's, and give patients the ability to 
choose their own doctors, guaranteed access to emergency and specialty 
care, the right to make health decisions with their doctors, and the 
ability to hold HMOs accountable.
  Last week's victory was one battle in the war for strong patient 
protections. The American people deserve the Patients' Bill of Rights, 
and they deserve it now.

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