Political Quotes

“My concern is that we specifically say and designate that the Secretary of Labor shall set up a process by which these people are identified. That process is required by law to not allow any of the people involved in the process, which is only fair, to have any control or any influence over who ends up on the panel. We don't set up a specific process. We give the Secretary of Labor the responsibility for doing that. My point, in response to the Senator's question--then I will go back to the other issues I need to talk about--is that we deal with this issue. He doesn't. I think it is critically important--I am happy to continue working with the Senator--that when you have an independent review, when you have a second appeal after the HMO internally has denied the claim, that whoever is conducting that review and whoever is on that panel not have any connection with the patient, with the doctor, or, probably most importantly, with the HMO. That is the only way we are going to get a fair and impartial review panel.”