Joe Lieberman: “I rise to speak about the McCain- Edwards-Kennedy Patients' Bill of Rights. It has been 4 years since the first managed…”

“I rise to speak about the McCain- Edwards-Kennedy Patients' Bill of Rights. It has been 4 years since the first managed care reform bill was introduced in Congress. After years of unyielding and unproductive debate, we came together this week to find common ground for the common good, and pass a bill that will significantly improve the quality of medical treatment for millions of American families. We have worked very hard to get to this day, and with the unfailing commitment of my colleagues on both sides, we have produced a bill that I am very proud to support. This bill does more than just provide new assurances to patients. It will provide a whole new framework for the delivery of health care in this country, helping to transform our managed care system from one in which health plans are immune for the life and death decisions they make every day to a more fair and accountable system for America's families. The purpose of this legislation has broad--and I emphasize broad-- bipartisan support. According to a CBS news poll from 6/20/01, 90 percent of Americans support a Patients' Bill of Rights. Two years ago, 68 Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for the Norwood-Dingell Patients' Bill of Rights legislation that allowed patients to sue HMOs if they are denied a medical benefit that they need. The Ganske-Dingell bill in the House of Representatives currently has strong support from both Democrats and Republicans.…”