This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_01EA_01BD3A3C.B728E000
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I came across some of the specifics on this bill, which Washington =
journalists feel will be made into law this year. The issue, though, is =
how watered-down it will be. Some Republicans are claiming it's too =
much, that it is really Hillary's rejected nationalized health care in =
disguise. Some of it's proposed Rights are:
Patients have the right to
1. receive accurate information - about everything
2. a choice of healthcare providers "sufficient to assure access to =
appropriate high-quality health care wherever feasible." Small =
employers to be given assistance to help pay for this.
3. emergency services when and where the need arises. Health plans will =
have to reimburse when an individual goes to an emergency room any time =
a "prudent lay person" would think it necessary.
4. fully participate in all decisions about their med. care. If unable, =
have the right to have family members, etc., do so.
5. considerate, respectful care. [here's a real boondoggle for the =
lawyers].
6. review own records and have corrections made; the right to =
confidentiality., and,
7. a fair and efficient process for resolving disputes with the health =
plans, doctors, hospitals, etc., including a rigorous system of internal =
review and an independent system of external review.
I sure do hope this list becomes more specific; right now it reads like =
the Preamble to the Constitution. The cost to administer the information =
disclosure procedures has been privately estimated at $.59 to $1.00/ =
insured person/month, and the cost to administer the external appeals =
process is supposed to cost $.03 to $.07 /insured person/month. I'd pay =
$1.07/ month to have some real strong protection in place.
I got this info from the 1/7 issue of the Journal of the AMA.=20
I don't know if anyone say Nightline with Ted Koppel the other night =
on the subject of HMO's denying care (mostly hospitalization) to people =
who then died, but it was amazing. These 3's survivors subsequently =
sued the HMO, Kaiser Permanente, and each got multi-million dollar =
settlements. You used to sue doctors for killing your relatives. Now =
you sue insurance companies. In one case, a juror on a case that was =
settled for $3 mm said the jury would have made them pay much more. In =
all case the reason was, apparently, that the HMO was looking at cutting =
costs. The HMO said this all involved their Texas operation, but that =
situation has since been remedied =20
------=_NextPart_000_01EA_01BD3A3C.B728E000
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.71.2016.0"' name=3DGENERATOR>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>I came across some of the specifics on this bill, =
which=20
Washington journalists feel will be made into law this year. The =
issue,=20
though, is how watered-down it will be. Some Republicans are =
claiming it's=20
too much, that it is really Hillary's rejected nationalized health care =
in=20
disguise. Some of it's proposed Rights are:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Patients have the right to</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>1. receive accurate information - about=20
everything</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>2. a choice of healthcare providers "sufficient =
to assure=20
access to appropriate high-quality health care wherever =
feasible." =20
Small employers to be given assistance to help pay for =
this.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>3. emergency services when and where the need =
arises. =20
Health plans will have to reimburse when an individual goes to an =
emergency room=20
any time a "prudent lay person" would think it =
necessary.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>4. fully participate in all decisions about their =
med.=20
care. If unable, have the right to have family members, etc., do=20
so.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>5. considerate, respectful care. [here's a =
real=20
boondoggle for the lawyers].</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>6. review own records and have corrections =
made; the=20
right to confidentiality., and,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>7. a fair and efficient process for resolving =
disputes with=20
the health plans, doctors, hospitals, etc., including a rigorous system =
of=20
internal review and an independent system of external =
review.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>I sure do hope this list becomes more <FONT=20
color=3D#000000>specific</FONT>; right now it reads like the Preamble to =
the=20
Constitution. The cost to administer the information disclosure =
procedures has=20
been privately estimated at $.59 to $1.00/ insured person/month, and the =
cost to=20
administer the external appeals process is supposed to cost $.03 to $.07 =
/insured person/month. I'd pay $1.07/ month to have some real =
strong=20
protection in place.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT><FONT color=3D#000000 =
size=3D2> I got=20
this info from the 1/7 issue of the Journal of the AMA. =
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2> I don't know if anyone say =
Nightline with=20
Ted Koppel the other night on the subject of HMO's denying care (mostly=20
hospitalization) to people who then died, but it was amazing. =
These =20
3's survivors subsequently sued the HMO, Kaiser Permanente, and each got =
multi-million dollar settlements. You used to sue doctors for =
killing your=20
relatives. Now you sue insurance companies. In one case, a =
juror on=20
a case that was settled for $3 mm said the jury would have made them pay =
much=20
more. In all case the reason was, apparently, that the HMO was =
looking at=20
cutting costs. The HMO said this all involved their Texas =
operation, but=20
that situation has since been=20
remedied  =
;</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_01EA_01BD3A3C.B728E000--
