FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:Todd Irons (202) 973-2927 Suzy DeFrancis
(202) 973-3610
Public Believes Employers Would Drop Coverage and Trial
Lawyers Would Benefit Most if Congress Allows New Health Care
Lawsuits
New Survey Also Shows Voters Prefer Quick, Independent
Review Over Ability to Go to Court
Washington, DC, February 10, 2000 — Armed with new polling data
showing the public believes employers will drop health coverage and trial
lawyers, not patients, will benefit most if Congress opens the health care
system to unlimited lawsuits, the Health Benefits Coalition today urged
House and Senate conferees not to rush to pass a patients’ bill of rights
that would have damaging long-term consequences on the health care
system.
"Congress needs to take a deep breath and carefully consider the
consequences of what it is about to do. This survey clearly shows voters
fear employers will drop health benefits for their workers and trial
lawyers will cash-in if Congress allows these new lawsuits," said Dan
Danner, chairman of the Health Benefits Coalition. "With costs rising and
the number of uninsured growing now is not the time to put the
employer-sponsored health care system on trial," said Danner.
Specifically, the survey of 800 registered voters, which was conducted
for the Health Benefits Coalition by Public Opinion Strategies on January
10-12, found:
- 67% believe trial lawyers will benefit more from expanding health
care lawsuits than patients will.
- 56% believe it is better to pass a bill now that allows for a quick
independent review of denied care than to hold out for new health care
lawsuits.
- 68% oppose allowing such new lawsuits if they allow employers to be
sued.
- 80% believe it likely that employers will drop coverage if they
could be sued.
"The public knows who the real winners and losers will be if Congress
allows new health care lawsuits, and they are making it clear that they
want a patients’ bill of rights, not a lawyer’s right to bill," said
Danner.
The coalition also unveiled a letter today to House and Senate managed
care conferees urging them to resist election year pressures to expand
health care lawsuits.
# # #
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.
|