Patients’ Bill of Rights will make healthcare less available

The “Fair Care for the Uninsured Act” is the Best Solution

WASHINGTON, DC – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today criticized the Kennedy-McCain bill (S. 1052), passed in the Senate, and the two leading measures in the House, the Ganske-Dingell bill (H.R. 526) and the Fletcher bill (H.R. 2315).  The government watchdog called on Congress to reject all so-called patients’ bills of rights in favor of the more market-oriented S. 683 and H.R. 1331, the “Fair Care for the Uninsured Act.”

“These patients’ bills will do little to nothing to improve the health system’s real disease: the 44 million Americans without health insurance," CCAGW President Thomas A. Schatz said.  “Rep. Fletcher and the House leadership tried to write a less onerous bill than the one passed in the Senate or the Ganske-Dingell bill in the House, but the Fletcher bill is simply Litigation Lite.  It is full of expensive mandates that will raise the cost of health insurance to employers."

“Draconian measures are unnecessary.  HMOs have already responded to consumers’ concerns in the marketplace by providing easier access to specialists, pediatricians, and point-of-service options.  Further, the Supreme Court last year ruled HMOs can be sued in state courts, so patients already have a remedy if they are mistreated or unsatisfied with their medical care,” Schatz added.

The Fair Care bill provides for a refundable tax credit of $1,000 per adult and $3,000 per family for the purchase of private health insurance.

“Most Americans unsatisfied with their health plans are so because their employers decide what the plan will cover instead of the employee,” Schatz concluded.  “The various patients’ bill of rights legislation will do little to correct this basic market flaw or help the truly disadvantaged.  Fair Care will allow individuals and families to pick plans that suit their needs and Fair Care will help those without insurance.  This is the first step to provide true comprehensive protection for patients, followed by tax credits for everyone so all can regain control of their healthcare decisions.”

CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest taxpayer advocacy group with over a million members and supporters nationwide.  It is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.