Louise Slaughter: “I rise to speak on the rule governing this motion to go to conference on H.R. 2990, what the majority is calling the…”

“I rise to speak on the rule governing this motion to go to conference on H.R. 2990, what the majority is calling the Quality Care for the Uninsured Act of 1999. Many of my friends on the other side of the aisle do not want a Patients' Bill of Rights. They have scrubbed those words from the title of the bill and have assigned it a bill number intended to disguise its heritage. But in, amongst everything else, there is a Patients' Bill of Rights, and this is an extremely important motion. The American people have spoken with a clear and compelling voice. They want reform in managed care, and they want protection from denials and delays which literally threaten their quality of life. This House responded in overwhelming fashion passing the Norwood- Dingell managed care reform bill by a 275 to 151 vote margin. It was a genuine rout, a convergence of political courage and public support resulting in a good bill which will do the right thing by the American people. In fact, it was a little too good for our friends who want to scuttle the HMO reform legislation. They are playing their ace in the hole, a parliamentary procedure which combines this very agreeable HMO bill with H.R. 2990, a very disagreeable bill which barely passed the House. But the trump card will be the will of the American people. They will no longer tolerate being denied access to specialists or to clinical trials.”