Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi

Pelosi Joins with House and Senate Democrats in Support of Patients' Bill of Rights

Calls On House GOP to Move Swiftly on Legislation

March 10, 1999

House and Senate Democrats today announced the reintroduction of the Patients' Bill of Rights. "The Democratic plan represents real reform to the nation's managed care system and deserves our immediate attention. The Republican leadership stood in the way of meaningful reform in the last Congress and we cannot allow that to happen again," Pelosi said. "We must restore the priority of the patient-doctor relationship and put a patient's health care in the hands of a MD not a CPA."

The Patients' Bill of Rights will:

• Guarantee access to needed health care specialists;
• Provide access to emergency room services when and where the need arises;
• Provide continuity of care protections to assure patient care if a patient's health care provider is dropped from the health care plan;
• Give access to a timely internal and independent external appeals process;
• Assure that doctors and patients can openly discuss treatment options;
• Assure that women have direct access to an OB-GYN;
• And provide an enforcement mechanism that ensures recourse for patients who have been injured or killed as a result of health plan actions.