[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16] [House] [Page 23103] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov][[Page 23103]] DERAILING HMO REFORM (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, after years of fighting for HMO reform, we are at the doorstep of passing meaningful patient protections. But now, just before we enact the bipartisan Patients' Bill of Rights, the Republican leadership is trying to derail HMO reform. The Republican leadership has offered a plan that fails to guarantee patients the right to make medical decisions with their doctors, decisions that are free from insurance company bureaucrats. Their plan also fails to hold HMOs accountable for wrong or improper decisions, and, sadly, the only reason this plan is even being offered is to prevent meaningful HMO reform from being passed. The bipartisan Patients' Bill of Rights is a good bill. It has broad support. If we pass this bill, then all HMO patients can have the ability to choose their own doctors, guaranteed access to emergency and specialty care, the right to make health decisions with doctors only, freedom from gag rules to prevent doctors from offering care, and the ability to hold their HMOs accountable. Let us do the right thing. We have an historic opportunity in the next couple of weeks. Let us pass the bipartisan Patients' Bill of Rights. ____________________