MANAGED CARE REFORM -- (House of Representatives - June 23, 1999)

[Page: H4742]

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   (Mr. DOGGETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

   Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, some of us think the problem is that too many people across America are being buried, buried unnecessarily because they have been managed out of their managed health care.

   We gather here today to sign a petition to discharge from a Republican committee stranglehold a bill of rights for health care consumers. We gather to discharge this vital legislation because the Republican leadership has failed to discharge its responsibilities to the American people.

   For too many folks, managed health care just means being managed out of the care that they need. Under our bill, physicians will be able to provide the best quality health care available rather than having some clerk be rewarded for denying care with a bonus.

   The Republican leadership has served the insurance industry very well in blocking this bill. We believe it is time to discharge it for floor action, time to serve America's health care consumers, not the insurance lobby and the HMOs that are denying Americans the quality of care and the rights that they deserve.

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