Clinton Pushes For Patient Bill Of Rights

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, May 28) -- At a White House rally featuring health care horror stories, President Bill Clinton on Thursday pressed Congress to pass a proposed bill of rights for people covered by health maintenance organizations.

"This bill says, you know, how can you let some person with the mentality of an accountant who will only see the number of what it costs to have somebody do [a patient's] surgery, who will only see the number at the bottom line of what the chemotherapy costs, make the decision?" Clinton said. "We're not that kind of people. We're not that kind of society. And if we have to endure a smidgen more inflation, bring it on."

The featured speaker at the rally was Ricka Powers, who told of her fight against breast cancer and how she logged 123 phone calls in three days, trying to extract a list of specialists from reluctant HMO officials.

Beforehand, Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala said the legislation's goal is to improve access to care. The legislation would mandate an outside review when care is denied, better access to specialists and wider coverage of emergency-room care.

"The problem now is that even if you have good insurance, you're not guaranteed, depending on where you live in the country, that you know what's in that health plan, that you have direct access to specialists, that you have direct access to emergency rooms, and getting the rules straight so that everybody that has health insurance knows what's in their plan and how they can use their plan and if they have a disagreements, they can appeal that to a higher body," Shalala said on CNN's "Early Edition."

Shalala said it's an issue especially for women, because they use the health care system more than men. "They use it for their families," she said. "They often manage their family's health care, making sure their children get to the doctor, so it's very much a woman's issue."

Asked if the legislation would mean higher costs, Shalala said, "There's no evidence that it's going to raise costs dramatically. In fact, many businesses believe it will save costs because the more information we have, the more likely we are to use our health care system correctly and that, in the long run, will save costs."

A Republican task force of House committee and subcommittee chairmen is expected to finish writing the patient rights' legislation early next month.

"In the end, the president will sign what he gets sent," Ways and Means Committee spokesman Ari Fleischer told The Associated Press. But the legislation is being crafted, Fleischer said, "with a cautious eye to doing no harm in driving up health care costs or stifling medical innovation."

Thursday, May 28, 1998

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• Judge Johnson's Opinion On Executive Privilege
• Reno's Sealed Motion Ran Counter To White House Privilege Claim
• Chinese-Born Loral Executive Focus Of Congressional Investigators
• Clinton Pushes For Patient Bill Of Rights
• House Investigators Say They've Found New Trie Link To Chinese Government