FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Todd Irons (202) 973-2927 Suzy DeFrancis
(202) 973-3610
Employers Launch Renewed Advertising Campaign
Ads Thank Senators for Supporting the Right Health Care
Reforms
Washington, DC, June 30, 2000 — The Health Benefits Coalition
announced today it will launch an advertising campaign during the July
4th recess thanking senators for supporting sensible patient
protections while opposing unlimited new lawsuits, such as those in the
Dingell-Norwood patients’ bill of rights. The full-page print ads will run
in major newspapers in Michigan, Missouri and Washington state.
"Thanks, Senator [NAME], for supporting a patients’ bill of rights that
right for [STATE]," reads the ad. "It’s right to improve our health
care. It’s right to help the uninsured. It’s right to stand up to special
interests like rich trial lawyers who want costly new lawsuits against
employers. It’s right to protect businesses and families by supporting
employer-sponsored health care and working to ensure that family premiums
are affordable."
Contrary to what supporters of the Dingell-Norwood bill claim, the
legislation does nothing to protect employers from liability – a fact
confirmed by numerous legal analyses of the bill. Employers would be
subject to jury trials in state courts and face costly punitive damages,
just for providing health coverage to their employees. Rather than face
such a risk, many employers would be forced to stop providing health
insurance to their workers. Even if employers could effectively be
shielded from liability, which the legislation fails to do, they would
still have to bear higher costs as health plans fall victim to more trial
lawyers’ lawsuits. In many cases, these higher costs will be passed on
directly to employees and families.
"Without a doubt, employers will be sued if the Dingell-Norwood
bill becomes law," said Dan Danner, chairman of the Health Benefits
Coalition. "Trial lawyers will enjoy a litigation lottery under this
legislation, with countless new opportunities to haul businesses, both
large and small, into court. And while trial lawyers laugh all the way to
the bank, families and small businesses will be hurt the most."
A copy of one of the ads is attached.
# # #
The Health Benefits Coalition is a broad-based
organization representing three million employers providing health care
coverage to more than 100 million employees and families. The coalition
believes affordable, quality health care is best achieved through broader
coverage, choice and competition in the marketplace – not government
mandates.
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