When it comes to quality, affordable health
care, working families and their doctors need to be guaranteed a say
in their health care and an equal footing with big HMOs and powerful
insurance companies. Medical decisions must be made by working
families and their physicians—not insurance companies and HMO
bureaucrats. A strong and comprehensive Patients’ Bill of Rights
will do that.
- A strong Patients’ Bill of
Rights would protect all 161 million
Americans in private health plans and not limit its protection
to certain groups as some proposals do.
- A strong Patients’ Bill of Rights would
allow health care consumers a voice when they disagree with
a health plan’s decision.
- A strong Patients’ Bill of Rights would
protect health care workers from retaliation by their
employers when they speak out for quality patient care.
- A strong Patients’ Bill of Rights would
allow doctors to provide a full diagnosis and recommend
specialists to treat curable diseases without the disincentives
many managed-care plans and insurance companies currently
use.
- A strong Patients’ Bill of Rights would
ensure that working families have access to emergency room
care, prescription drugs and clinical trials.
- A strong Patients’ Bill of Rights would
protect working families by letting doctors—not insurance
companies—practice medicine.
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