Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I still do not understand why this bill is not under the Fair Labor Standards Act. We all know that there has been a great expansion of HMOs. Large insurance companies seem to care more about the bottom line than the patients that they are supposed to serve. These issues should be addressed. However, allowing doctors to unionize without a governing body or any enforcement mechanism is not the way to solve this problem. This bill would create many opportunities for patients to be harmed by boycotts and other union tactics but would do nothing for patients. This means that, as presently written, there is absolutely nothing in this bill for patients. Simply put, my amendment would guarantee that doctors are using their exempt status for quality care for their patients, not negotiating higher fees, which would lead to higher fees and raise health care costs, which would increase the present uninsured group in this country from 40 million to 50 million people in a very short period of time.”