Frank Pallone: “In my view, there is nothing more important in the managed care debate than giving patients the right to hold their HMO…”

“In my view, there is nothing more important in the managed care debate than giving patients the right to hold their HMO accountable when they are denied the care they need. Any legislation that fails to give patients that renders the protections within it absolutely meaningless. The Patient's Bill of Rights includes an enforcement mechanism which ensures patients will finally get that right. Our bill repeals the ERISA exemption, the 1974 law which shields HMOs from being sued if they deny people needed care. The other bill we are considering today, the Republican bill, does nothing to hold HMOs accountable for their actions. If not only leaves ERISA essentially intact, it actually exacerbates the problem. Its external appeals process only applies to people whose insurance comes under ERISA. Individuals in the private insurance market are left without any external recourse when they are denied care.”