Frank Pallone: “I am sure they would articulate and be right in saying that it is the insurance industry, of course, that is continuing…”

“I am sure they would articulate and be right in saying that it is the insurance industry, of course, that is continuing to lobby in Congress to prevent this legislation from coming forward. The fact of the matter is they spend a lot of money on advertisements and other ways of trying to influence what goes on here. So I have no doubt that the reason why the leadership has been unwilling to bring this to the floor is because of the opposition from the insurance industry. We have had this so often with health care reform in general. But this, of course, hits at the very heart of the HMO and the managed care industry, because they fear that somehow by us putting these patient protections in effect, that they are going to be told what to do or that somehow their costs may be impacted. I really do not see it as a cost issue. I do not think it is going to cost anything more, or certainly a very insignificant amount extra money if anything, to implement these basic patient protections and we have to keep making that point.”