Patients' rights debate: Care vs. cost

By Bill Delaney
CNN Boston Bureau Chief

At the heart of the ongoing debate on a patient's bill of rights is the question of the legislation's effect on rising health-care costs.

As the House of Representatives prepares to take up the bill passed 59-36 by the Senate in June, and with the threat of a presidential veto looming, there is surprising unanimity about one aspect of the bill -- that it will raise costs of health care.

2002 would be the fourth year in a row in which companies and their employees should expect higher health-care costs.

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Even strong advocates of the bill's creation of a right to sue HMOs acknowledge that rates will likely rise as health-care providers pass on insurance costs to customers. Supporters of the measure say, however, the threat of price increases, which they say will be minimal, is outweighed by the need to protect the sick from HMOs that deny necessary care.

Currently 170 million Americans are in HMOs, the New York Times reports. Twenty percent of people account for 70 percent of health-care spending, according to Ed Howard, of the Alliance for Health Reform.

Opponents of the bill warn of an avalanche of lawsuits and point out that premiums have already been escalating for years because of malpractice suits against doctors.

Both sides of the debate agree health-care costs are rising for reasons that transcend courtrooms. Americans are living longer and now demand a higher level of care that includes cutting-edge drugs and the latest technologies. That all costs more money.