[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4059]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   PASS THE PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS

  (Mr. LAMPSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to challenge all of my 
colleagues, Democrats, Republicans and independents, to pass 
legislation that would provide all Americans with the health care 
protections that they need and deserve. I am very concerned that 
patients from my district are being denied the health care coverage 
they need to lead productive lives. It seems that I cannot pick up my 
local newspapers, the Beaumont Enterprise or the Texas City Sun, 
without reading about someone who was denied care because some 
insurance company bureaucrat decided that a procedure was not 
necessary. It is one thing to keep down costs, but it cannot be done at 
the patient's expense. That is why I support yesterday's reintroduction 
of the patient's Bill of Rights. I am confident that the Bill of Rights 
will give residents of Hotel Beaumont, a senior citizens community in 
the heart of my hometown, the right to choose a specialist and to see 
the same doctor throughout treatment.
  It is time for us to put our money where our mouth is. Let us prove 
to the American people that this Congress can work together to address 
issues they really care about. Let us pass the Patients' Bill of 
Rights.

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