[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12090]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



            SUPPORT THE BIPARTISAN PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS

  (Mr. BROWN of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, let us get down to basics. Some 
health plans systematically obstruct, delay and deny care. Some health 
plans provide excuses instead of coverage. The bipartisan Patients' 
Bill of Rights has enough teeth in it to deter health plans from 
cheating their enrollees and enough definition in it to protect health 
plans and employers from frivolous lawsuits.
  Yesterday, my Republican colleagues, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. 
Fletcher), the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) and the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Thomas), introduced legislation endorsed by 
President Bush and written by the largest insurance companies in the 
country. It does not give enrollees the right to sue. The language is 
drafted so that the right to sue cannot actually be exercised.
  The Republican bill is a sham. I ask President Bush to work with us 
to put insurance interests aside, to put campaign contributions from 
insurance interests aside, to work with us in the bipartisan Patients' 
Bill of Rights. That is the bill that protects patients. That is the 
bill that restores the patient-physician relationship.

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