Deborah Koff Ross: “Mr. Chairman we need a real Patients Bill of Rights--one that truly takes the medical decisions out of the hands of the…”

“Mr. Chairman we need a real Patients Bill of Rights--one that truly takes the medical decisions out of the hands of the big health insurance company bureaucrats and the big HMOs and puts them back where they belong with physicians, nurses, and patients; one that allows patients to hold their HMOs accountable when they make bad medical decisions. That's what our constituents are asking for. That's what the Ganske-Dingell-Berry bill would do. I'm sick and tired of the scare tactics the big health insurance companies and the big HMOs have been using with our small business owners. I own a small business with 15 employees back home. We provide health insurance to our employees. And I can tell you, the scare tactics that these HMOs are putting out in regard to increased premiums and potential lawsuits are simply that--scare tactics. The state of Texas has this law on the books, and it is working. It's making the big HMOs accountable to their patients on the front end, and that is why there have only been 17 lawsuits filed in the state of Texas--a very large state-- since the law was enacted in 1997. The Norwood Compromise overrides states like Texas who already have patient protection laws on their books. It rolls back patient protections and shields HMOs from the consequences of their own bad medical decisions, unlike doctors and hospitals, who will be left to defend themselves. This is not a patient bill of rights. This is an HMO and health insurance companies' bill of rights.”