Lois Capps: “on behalf of the patients of the Central Coast of California and all across America, I rise today to say that enough is…”

“on behalf of the patients of the Central Coast of California and all across America, I rise today to say that enough is enough. With only 36 days left in this Congress, the House has yet to debate and vote on real managed care reform. The leadership has consistently blocked efforts to bring a comprehensive HMO or health care reform bill to the floor, and the American people deserve better. Instead, this week the House will vote on partisan bills that have just been slapped together, and not the bipartisan patients' rights measures that already have significant support here in the House and all across this country. As a nurse, I know firsthand the importance of accessible, quality, patient-centered health care. Basic patients' rights can mean the difference between life and death. As I meet with constituents in my district, no matter what the occasion, they very often come forward to me with their concerns about their health care. Sometimes these are dramatic stories which make the news, which horrify us all. More often, though, they are individual instances of promises not kept, compromised outcomes, resources depleted, and care that is just halfway good. My fellow nurses tell me with great sadness in their voices how it hurts to deny basic health care needs; to send frail, elderly patients home alone, so dizzy they cannot even stand. Surely we can do better than this in this great Nation, with the medical resources that we have at our disposal.”