[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12959-12960]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



      SUPPORT FLETCHER-PETERSON BALANCED PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express my strong support 
for a meaningful and responsible Patients' Bill of Rights recently 
introduced by my colleagues and friends, the gentleman from Kentucky 
(Mr. Fletcher)

[[Page 12960]]

and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson).
  We have been debating this issue for years, and it is time to give 
Americans what they need and what they deserve. This bill ensures that 
Americans will have access to medical care, including pediatric 
services, OB-GYN, specialists and emergency care. It further provides 
accountability by assuring those who make medical decisions which 
result in an injury are held responsible for their actions.
  And this bill assures Americans can count on affordable health care. 
After all, what good is a Patients' Bill of Rights if millions of more 
Americans are unable to afford health care?
  I call upon everyone in this Chamber to support the Fletcher-Peterson 
bill. It is a balanced Patients' Bill of Rights, which ensures that 
medical decisions are made by doctors and patients, and not by HMO 
gatekeepers or lawyers.

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