Frank Pallone: “once again this evening, as we are back from the Memorial Day break, I would like to take up the issue of health care.…”

“once again this evening, as we are back from the Memorial Day break, I would like to take up the issue of health care. As my colleagues know, I have been down here with many of my Democratic colleagues many times over the last few months since the session began and since this new administration began in January, basically speaking out on three major health care issues that have not been addressed, in my opinion, by the President and the Republican leadership in the Congress, and that is the need to reform HMOs and the need to pass a Patients' Bill of Rights that would reform HMOs. There are so many problems that people now have with their HMO or their managed care organization in not having proper access to care, not being able to go to the hospital of their choice, not being able to, if they have a grievance, have an independent review of the decision by the HMO to deny them care; and I will get into this more this evening. The second issue is the need for a Medicare prescription drug benefit. When I go home, and I was home for the last 10 days in New Jersey, my seniors and my constituents complained more about the high cost of drugs and how they cannot pay for prescription drugs and that it should be included in Medicare. I agree, and that needs to be addressed. The third issue is access for the uninsured. More Americans every day have no health insurance.”