WASHINGTON,
D.C. – On the House floor today, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
urged her colleagues to support real HMO reforms and move quickly to pass
real Patients’ Bill of Rights. Below is Schakowsky’s statement.
“Mr.
Speaker, now is the time for a real Patients' Bill of Rights; and today
is the day that we should instruct the conferees to move quickly to pass
a strong bill.
“I
have a letter from constituents. It reads:
“Dear
Representative Schakowsky: We beg you to please do everything you possibly
can to support a Patients' Bill of Rights for those of us who find ourselves
in the merry-go-round of dealing with HMOs and reluctant insurance company
benefit providers. It has gotten to the point of being ridiculous when
patients are subjected to mental torture by these big companies.
“This
certainly cannot be what our Founding Fathers had in mind. Ultimately,
we have only one means of relief, the United States Congress. I understand
the big providers have lobbyists, with deep pockets, fighting any legislation
that would force them to be more fair and of understanding their responsibilities
to their customers, but this cannot be allowed to interfere with what we
all know to be basically right and wrong. This is what the average American
cannot understand. Why cannot Congress just do what is right for the people
whose well-being has been entrusted to them?
“It
has been entrusted to us. This is the day that we can act to say move quickly,
move now.” |