Albert Russell Wynn: “I rise today to call for managed care reform, sometimes known as the Patient's Bill of Rights. The President is correct…”

“I rise today to call for managed care reform, sometimes known as the Patient's Bill of Rights. The President is correct, we need to protect the consumers of health care services. Today, millions of Americans have moved into managed care. It is fundamentally a good system, but there are problems. A recent California study showed that 42 percent of the people who have managed care have encountered problems with their service. How can we correct this with a bill of rights? It would ensure that patients are informed of their health care options. It would ensure that they get the right doctor for the right type of care. It would ensure that they get access to emergency rooms when they need it. It would ensure that they are presented with all of their health care options, regardless of cost. It would ensure that doctors make decisions, not medical care bureaucrats. And it would keep patients' medical records confidential. Mr. Speaker, these are official rights for every health care consumer. We ought to pass this law. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership is attempting to block our Health Care Consumers Bill of Rights. That is not fair. We need to move toward an intelligent bill of rights for health care consumers.”