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John Bel Edwards is an American politician and attorney currently serving as the 56th governor of Louisiana, a position he has held since January 11, 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, Edwards has focused on issues such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure during his tenure. He has been recognized for his efforts to expand Medicaid in Louisiana, which has significantly increased access to healthcare for many residents in the state.
I want to add a word for my colleague from Delaware. He and I have been working together on this legislation since it came to the floor and beforehand. He has a very well thought out position. Some of his positions I do not entirely share…
The language of the legislation is that reckless, intentional conduct is criminal conduct--all over America.
I respectfully disagree. Somebody who engages in reckless conduct in the operation of an automobile has engaged in criminal conduct. Somebody who engages in reckless conduct that causes the death of another person has engaged in criminal…
I can't answer it yes or no. The answer is reckless, intentional, outrageous conduct.
I continue to have a significant concern about raising an issue on the HMO reform bill that is not related to HMO reform. We have pretty consistently throughout this debate opposed and defeated amendments unrelated to the coverage of this…
I say to my colleague that if there is already a law in place that covers this issue, it seems as a matter of procedure that the appropriate thing to do would be to amend the already existing law that covers the subject matter, as opposed…
One, the entire Patients' Bill of Rights is about treating everybody the same. This, of course, carves out a special treatment for HMOs on the issue of accountability. Second, this amendment makes a special exception under RICO for HMOs…
I have concerns about the fundamental question that the principle of this legislation is that we treat HMOs, for accountability purposes, as everyone else. And the notion of doing something specifically to protect them from class actions…
Because there are two separate categories, if I may answer the Senator's question. There are two potential causes of action. If it involves any issue relating to medical care, specific medical fact, those cases go to State court. We treat…
In answer to the Senator's question, not only under this amendment the employer couldn't be held accountable, in fact the HMO couldn't be held accountable because they would both be exempted from the legislation. So the family and the…
As somebody who has been involved with this issue for many years, I wonder if the Senator believes we can have a real patient protection act, real Patients' Bill of Rights, if, in fact, we exempt almost half of the employees in the country…
I am stunned that this came up on the floor today, quite frankly. But despite being stunned on both sides, let us sit down and talk this out as two Members of Congress from the State of Texas and see if we can proceed.
This bill still has a long way to go. I am more than willing to sit down with the chairman of the subcommittee, the ranking member, and the gentleman from Texas and see if we agree on this. But I would think before we shape the future of…
It would have been common courtesy to approach me personally and say, I am going to come to the floor today to talk to the chairman of the subcommittee about something that is not in my district that is within yours.
I specifically thank him for his work on this issue on behalf of the people of Nebraska whom he represents. He has been extraordinarily diligent and involved in this very important issue of the Patients' Bill of Rights and patient…
It is impossible during that period of time to get injunctive relief against an HMO, and I might add, the last thing in the world a family is thinking about when they have a member of their family who is in trouble and needs health care is…
That is absolutely a fair statement. When I have town hall meetings in North Carolina, we often have physicians show up and share horror stories, including ordering care for a patient, with some clerk sitting behind a desk 300 miles away…
We are continuing to work on it as we speak. If we can find a way to maximize protection for employers with appropriate language and, at the same time, not ignore the interests of the patients, we will do that. I believe that can be done.
Fundamentally, the reason we need this bill is that the law needs to be taken from being on the side of the HMOs and put on the side of patients and doctors so health care decisions in this country are, in fact, being made by people who…
Yes. Mr. McCAIN. Is it true that we have significant protections for employers with regard to liability, including the self-insured? But isn't it also true--because allegations will be made to the contrary-- that we are interested in…
What we do in this bill is we give the Secretary of Labor responsibility for setting up the process. But in setting up the process, the Secretary is required to not allow any of the people involved to be able to influence who is on the…
The Secretary sets up a process by which the selection of the independent review panel is done and by which the selection of those people who are eligible for the independent review panel is done. The Secretary is responsible for doing…
Reclaiming my time, the difference is, we have specific language in our bill that says neither the HMO nor the patient can have any relationship or any control over who is the group who picks the reviewing panel, No. 1, or the reviewing…
Would the Senator talk briefly about the number of Americans who are being affected by us not having already passed this legislation, and whatever delay may occur in the debate of this bill? I know the Senator has been involved in this…
Would the Senator address two questions, please. First, the fact that the HMOs are denying and not covering patients needing and having access to clinical trials--would he first talk a little about, from his experience and from talking to…
Politicians like John Bel Edwards
