| Offices : Beckley • Charleston • Fairmont • Martinsburg • Washington, DC | E-mail Senator Rockefeller |
June 28, 2001
ROCKEFELLER CALLS FOR PASSAGE OF A PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS
Final Senate Vote Expected Friday
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Addressing one of the most important health care issues this year, Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) today called for swift passage of The McCain-Edwards-Kennedy Bipartisan Patient Protection Act – legislation that would provide meaningful, enforceable rights for America’s patients.
"A Patients’ Bill of Rights requires that patients’ care be determined by doctors, not by health insurance accountants," Rockefeller said. "West Virginians, and all Americans, deserve the health care coverage they paid for. We cannot continue to allow health insurance companies’ bottom line to dictate what is in the best interest of patients."
The Bipartisan Patient Protection Act would affect over 180 million Americans, including nearly 180,000 West Virginians, who are currently enrolled in health insurance plans.
Key features of the legislation include guaranteeing patients access to emergency care, medical specialists, clinical trials of new drugs, and an independent medical review of decisions denying care. The bill would also make it easier for injured patients to sue their health insurance companies for denying them access to certain health benefits. At the same time, the bill would protect the large number of employers in West Virginia, and around the nation, who offer insurance coverage for their employees from liability in the majority of cases.
Approximately 200 organizations, including organized labor, patient advocacy and health care provider groups, support the bipartisan McCain-Edwards-Kennedy Patients’ Bill of Rights. It is widely agreed that the bill will not significantly increase insurance premiums, cause job losses or increase the number of uninsured.
In 1997, President Clinton appointed an independent panel of health care experts to address the growing frustration faced by patients in health-maintenance organizations. Later that year, President Clinton urged Congress to pass a Patients’ Bill of Rights reflecting the panel’s recommendations. Since then, Congress has stalled on passing a Patients’ Bill of Rights.
Citing the number of years that Congress has been working to pass the legislation, Rockefeller said. "We’ve talked long enough about the need for a Patients’ Bill of Rights. Now, we must pass it."
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