[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7026]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 NORTHERN CALIFORNIANS ASK REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP TO BRING MANAGED CARE 
              REFORM TO THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE FOR DEBATE

  (Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, in the last weeks dozens of national health 
organizations launched a nationwide online petition demanding the 
passage of comprehensive Bill of Rights. This would protect the basic 
rights of patients enrolled in managed care plans.
  In my district north of the Golden Gate Bridge, even though we have 
some very good health maintenance organizations, people are telling me 
that they are very concerned about whether their health plan will be 
there when they need it. So they are getting on this petition, and they 
are asking the Republican leadership to bring the Patients' Bill of 
Rights forward so that we can debate it here in the Congress.
  They are calling on the Speaker of the House to bring managed care 
reform to the Floor of the House, managed care reform that will 
guarantee access to emergency room care, ensure that doctors and 
patients, not insurance companies, have the final word on medical 
decisions, and give patients recourse when care is denied.
  It is pretty basic, Mr. Speaker. In our health care system patients 
should be number one, not the almighty dollar.

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