FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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FOR
MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: |
Friday April 9, 1999 |
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Cheryl Kelly at 202-429-1130
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AFSCME President Applauds
Congressional Leaders for their Support of Patients’ Bill of
Rights
Washington, D.C. -- Gerald W. McEntee, president of the
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
(AFSCME) the nation’s largest public employee and health care
workers union, applauded efforts by Congressional leaders who today
will be participating in events throughout the country aimed at
highlighting the need for consumer protections in managed care.
“Today, Congressional leaders in over 26 states will be
advocating on behalf of a Patients’ Bill of Rights. The need for
such legislation is more important now than ever before as we face a
crisis of confidence in health care. Consumers feel they can no
longer count on their insurance plans to provide the care they need;
patient choices are being restricted and insurance company
bureaucrats are interfering in the doctor-patient relationship.
“AFSCME strongly supports the Kennedy/Dingell bills, S. 6 and
H.R. 358, because they are comprehensive packages of patients’
rights. They hold insurance companies and HMOs accountable when they
deny care which injures patients. The Republican leadership bills
would continue to allow insurers to reverse decisions made by
physicians.
“The Patients’ Bill of Rights will improve health care for all
Americans who receive benefits through managed care; and it will
address the concerns of some 360,000 AFSCME-represented doctors,
nurses and health care workers who -- because of sweeping changes in
the health care industry -- are increasingly frustrated in their
efforts to provide quality health care to their patients. This
legislation would also protect medical professionals from wrongful
termination, retaliation or discrimination resulting from their
efforts to blow the whistle on practices that jeopardize patient
care.
“Too many patients have purchased health care coverage only to
discover that their health care provider will not refer them to
specialized care and/or may deny important treatment options. A
comprehensive Patients’ Bill of Rights would improve the health care
that patients receive by establishing universal standards in health
care and giving control of patient care back to doctors, nurses and
other medical professionals. This legislation would guarantee that
insurance companies and HMOs make treatment decisions according to
the standards of good medicine, not according to cost.”
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American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees, AFL-CIO 1625 L Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
20036-5687 Telephone (202) 429-1130 Fax (202) 429-1120
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