Political Quotes

“Last week, the Tuesday before we came back into session, four Members of Congress from the Houston area met with over 100 people to discuss an important issue that is facing the American public. That public meeting was about managed care reform and the Republican majority's misnamed bill that we passed earlier this year, the Patient Protection Act. This was the first public hearing held on the bill since our committee that I serve on did not have any hearings on the bill that passed this House. That hearing confirmed what we have been saying for months, that families in managed care want and need some reform this year. They do not want a sham bill like the Patient Protection Act that does more for insurance companies than patients and they do not want a bill that actually preempts Texas law that was passed by our legislature last year. They want a patients' bill of rights that is not right because it is a Democratic bill but because it contains meaningful reforms to complement the State laws that are passed. Eliminate the gag rules, provide choice and also allow people to go to adequate emergency rooms without having to call their insurance company first.”