Steny Hoyer: “I rise on behalf of this bill. What is this bill? It is the bill that the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) got on…”

“I rise on behalf of this bill. What is this bill? It is the bill that the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) got on the floor and said he supports. It is a bill that, in 1999, 275 of us voted for in a bipartisan fashion, and in a bipartisan fashion for 24 months we have labored to pass that bill. We did pass it, and it was bottled up in conference committee because the Republican leadership did not want it to become law. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) wants a bill that can be signed. I agree. But the way to get a bill that can be signed is to show where the bill ought to be, and those 275 of us for the underlying bill should vote for that bill today and send it to conference, have the conference work on it, and let the President come to the conference; not, with all due respect to my friend, the gentleman from Georgia (Charlie Norwood), one Member, but to the conference, to the Senate and House, after they have worked their will and passed a real Patients' Bill of Rights. Let us adopt the base bill and reject the three amendments. Mr. Chairman, the American people need and deserve a real Patients' Bill of Rights. This legislation ensures that doctors make medical decisions, not insurance company bureaucrats. It gives every American the right to choose his or her own doctor. It ensures broad access to specialists. It prohibits incentives to limit care.”