Barbara Kennelly: “the 161 million Americans in managed care today deserve to know that their health care comes first. For 18 years, I have…”

“the 161 million Americans in managed care today deserve to know that their health care comes first. For 18 years, I have represented Hartford, Connecticut, the insurance capital of the world. So I know how managed care came into being. Health insurance premiums were rising at double-digit rates, 17 percent in 1988, 21 percent the following year, 17 percent again in 1990. The industry responded to rein in the costs, and it worked. But it so often happens in reform, once a balance is reached, some people do not know when to stop. So now profits became the prize. Yes, we have stable prices, but they have come at a terrible cost. That is what we are addressing today, the cost of our confidence that we will get the health care that we need, that we deserve, and that we pay for. Specialist treatment, continuity of care, emergency room treatments are not options. They are not frills, as some managed care companies seem to believe. When patients are denied adequate care by arbitrary decision-makers, they must have recourse. Mr. Speaker, we must put patients first again in this bill. H.R. 3605 offers real relief at modest cost, and I urge my colleagues to do this today.”