Patsy T. Mink: “I rise today deeply disappointed in the total sellout of a meaningful patients' bill of rights. For years, a bipartisan…”

“I rise today deeply disappointed in the total sellout of a meaningful patients' bill of rights. For years, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers have been working together to reform the managed care industry and develop a genuine patients' bill of rights. A growing number of Americans get their health insurance through managed care plans. Although these plans enable many employers to provide affordable, high quality health benefits, various groups and individuals have expressed frustration with HMO's denial of necessary services and lack of an appeals process. A strong patients' bill of rights puts medical decision making back into the hands of doctors and patients and holds managed care plans accountable for failure to allow needed health care. Today we are confronted by a compromise reached between Representative Norwood and the President, which no longer protects patients' health care rights. A patients' bill of rights must allow a patient to sue their health plan for any injuries they receive if they were denied proper medical care. Of course, the lawsuit could only occur after an independent medical reviewer considers the patient's medical condition along with the most up-to-date medical knowledge and apply it to the individual's specific case. A patients' bill of rights must close the loophole that allows HMOs to be the only industry that is protected from lawsuits.”