Patients' Bill of Rights in the 106th Congress: House Bill  On October 7, 1999, the House of Representatives passed the Norwood-Dingell bill by an overwhelming majority, sending a message to the managed care industry: put patients before profits! The House successfully defeated three substitute bills that provided for fewer protections. The Norwood-Dingell bill delivers the basic patient protections Americans want and need. Press Release: Norwood/Dingell Passage a Victory for Women & Families  Senate Bill Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) and Sen. Daschle (D-SD) took the Norwood-Dingell patients’ bill of rights to the Senate floor for a vote on June 8, 2000 where it was defeated by a margin of only ONE vote. On June 29, 2000, the Senate passed a revised version of the patients' rights bill that passed  the Senate in July,1999.  The revised bill, called the "Nickles Amendment," fails to give patients the protections they need.  Click here to read how this bill compares to the bipartisan Norwood-Dingell bill. Congress Adjourns Without Enacting the Bipartisan Norwood-Dingell Patients' Bill of Rights Into Law The 106th Congress returned to work in December 2000 for a rare, post-election lame-duck session, but did not take action on the long-stalled patients' bill of rights, such action is considered unlikely. Looking ahead to the 107th Congress, which convenes in January, patients' rights advocates will be better poised for victory because at least 4 opponents of the bipartisan Norwood-Dingell bill lost their seats in the Senate and were replaced by supporters of strong patient protections. With this shift in the Senate, the push for a strong, enforceable patient protection bill will be stronger than ever.

• Chart: July 17, 2000: How the House-passed Bipartisan Bill and the Senate-passed Nickles Amendment Measure Up on Some Key Patient Protections

• Letter: April 12, 2000: Letter to House and Senate Managed Care Conferees on Genetic Information

• Letter: April 5, 2000: Letter to House and Senate Managed Care Conferees on Scope and Liability

• Letter: March 14, 2000: Letter to House and Senate Managed Care Conferees on Direct Access to Ob-Gyn Services

• Letter: February 15, 2000: Letter to Senators on Holding Health Plans Accountable

• Chart: How the House-passed Bipartisan Bill (H.R. 2723) and the Senate-passed Bill (S. 1344) Measure Up on Some Key Patient Protections

• Chart: Analysis of the Liability Provisions of Goss/Coburn/Shadegg/Thomas/Greenwood Substitute

• List: Nearly 275 Groups Co-Sponsor H.R. 2723

• Chart: How the Bipartisan Bill (H.R. 2723), the Coburn/Shadegg Bill (H.R. 2824), and the Boehner Bill (H.R. 2926) Measure Up on Some Key Patient Protections

• Chart: How the House Bipartisan Consensus Bill (H.R. 2723) and the Boehner Bill (H.R. 2926) Measure Up on Some Key Patient Protections

• Chart: Holding Health Plans Accountable

• Chart: How the Senate-passed Bill (S.1344) and S.6 Measure Up on Some Key Patient Protections

• Patients Need Real Protections, Not Phony Substitutes

• House Subcommittee Adopts Amendment That Would be Harmful to Women

• Boehner/Goodling Package of Bills is Bad Medicine for Women

• Sign the Patients' Bill of Rights Petition

• Checklist:How the House and Senate Leadership Proposals Measure Up on Some Key Patient Protections

• Analysis: Patients' Bill of Rights Act vs. House Leadership Bill vs. Senate Leadership Bill

• Chart: How the Patients' Bill of Rights Act (S. 6/ H.R. 358) addresses issues of particular concern for women

• Fact Sheet: Senate "Help" Committee passes bill that will not give patients the help they need.

• Letter to Senate HELP committee on the Problems with S.326 from the National Partnership, (3/15/99).

• Sign-on letter to House and Senate in support of liability provisions, endorsed by 27 consumer and patient advocacy groups, (3/17/99).

• Response to concerns that the Patient's Bill of Rights Act will raise costs.

• Health and Consumer Organizations that Support the Patients' Bill of Rights

• The Patients' Bill of Rights Act Means Better Care for Women

• June 8, 2000: Senate Should Put Patients Before Profits

• May 26, 2000:Women's Health Advocate Scolds Congress for Unfinished Business on Patients' Rights

• May 3, 2000: Get Moving on Patient Protections

• May 2, 2000: Patients' Rights Coalition Leader Calls on Senator Nickles to Follow the Lead of His Own State

• March 2, 2000: Clock Is Ticking for Patients' Rights

• October 7, 1999: Norwood-Dingell Passage a Victory for Women & Families

• September 23,1999: Only One Bill Protects Patients, Not Profits: Norwood-Dingell

• September 9,1999: Coburn-Shadegg Bill Fails Women and Families

• July 12,1999:Senate Should Put the People's Health Before Insurers' Profits

   

• June 23,1999:Senate Leadership Gambles with Americans' Health

• April 9, 1999: Internet Petition Lets Americans Send a Message to Congress: We Need Real Patient Protections

• April 8, 1999: National Partnership to Join President Clinton, Members of Congress to call for Real HMO Reform

• March 9, 1999: No Changing the Subject on Patient Protections

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  National Partnership for Women & Families.
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