Political Quotes

Ed Markey: “Make no mistake, the Norwood amendment guts the patients' bill of rights, and what is left behind? Nothing more than an…”

On the recordAugust 2, 2001
Make no mistake, the Norwood amendment guts the patients' bill of rights, and what is left behind? Nothing more than an ``HMO Bill of Slights.'' The Norwood amendment slights patients with weakened accountability provisions; it slights patients by preempting stronger State laws, which would allow patients to sue HMOs for bad medical decisions; it slights patients by prohibiting class action lawsuits against HMOs; and it slights patients by allowing HMOs to delay a patient's day in court by choosing Federal court over State court. Mr. Chairman, justice delayed is justice denied. The American people have waited too long for a real HMO bill of rights. Vote no on the Norwood amendment, the ``HMO Bill of Slights.''
Said by
Ed Markey
Democratic · Massachusetts

Editor's note · Context

Opposing the Norwood amendment during debate on patients' rights legislation.

Share

More from Ed Markey

Oct 16, 2026

Cutting E-Rate would narrow that talent pipeline. Maintaining connectivity in every school and library is therefore an investment in America’s technological leadership, economic competitiveness, and national security.

markey.senate.gov
Oct 8, 2026

Three years into the brutality of the war in Gaza, we must stop the bombing, end this conflict, and usher in much-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.

markey.senate.gov
Oct 17, 2026

The US-Saudi nuclear deal is about megatons, not megawatts. Trump should not be sharing nuclear bomb technology with a nation that US intelligence says may want nuclear weapons. Even worse, the deal fails to meet the nonproliferation Gold…

markey.senate.gov
Oct 3, 2026

The Fossil Free Finance Act would require our financial institutions, including banks, to protect Americans’ savings, investments, and our economy by addressing the threats posed by climate change. We need to put the planet over profit and…

markey.senate.gov

Other voices in this conversation