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Committee on
Energy and Commerce
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Building, Washington, DC
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H.R. 3605
PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS ACT OF 1998
SUMMARY
ACCESS TO CARE
- Choice of Plans
Choice is one of the key components of consumer
satisfaction with the health system. The Democratic bill would allow a limited point of
service option (POS) for employees who are offered only a closed panel HMO. The health
plan, not the employer, would be required to make the POS available, and the employer
would not be required to contribute to the point of service option.
- Adequacy of Provider Network
Plans must have a sufficient number,
distribution, and variety of providers to ensure that all enrollees receive covered
services on a timely basis.
- Specialty Care
Patients with special conditions must have access to
providers who have the requisite expertise to treat their problem. The Democratic bill
allows for referrals for enrollees to go out of the plan's network for specialty care (at
no extra cost to the enrollee) if there is no appropriate provider available in the
network for covered services.
- Chronic Care Referrals
For individuals who are seriously ill or
require continued care by a specialist, plans must have a process for selecting a
specialist as a primary care provider and for accessing necessary specialty care without
impediments.
- Women's Protections
The Democratic bill extends important
protections for women in managed care, including direct access to ob/gyn care and services
and the ability to designate their ob/gyn as a primary care provider. The proposal also
includes bills regarding mastectomy length-of-stay and breast reconstruction.
- Children's Protections
The Democratic bill ensures that the special
needs of children are met, including access to pediatric specialists.
- Continuity of Care
Patients should be protected against disruptions
in care because of a change in plan or a change in a provider's network status. The
Democratic bill lays out guidelines for the limited continuation of treatment in these
instances. There are specific protections for pregnancy, terminal illness, and
institutionalization.
- Emergency Services
Individuals should be assured that if they have
an emergency, those services will be covered by their plan. The Democratic bill says that
individuals must have access to emergency care, without prior authorization in any
situation that a "prudent lay person" would regard as an emergency.
- Clinical Trials
Access to clinical trials can be the only hope left
for individuals with serious and life-threatening diseases, especially when no standard
treatment is effective. Plans must have a process for allowing certain enrollees to
participate in a defined set of approved clinical trials and for covering the routine
patient costs associated with these trials.
- Drug Formularies
Prescription medications can not be one-size-fits
all. For plans that use a formulary, the plan must have a process for beneficiaries to
access medications that are not on the formulary when medically indicated. And, plan
doctors and pharmacists must help in the formulary development.
- Non-discrimination
Patients should not be discriminated against in
their access to covered health care services. The Democratic bill prohibits plans from
discriminating against their enrollees on a variety of factors including genetic
information, sexual orientation, and disability. This provision does not affect issuance
or pricing of policies.
INFORMATION
- Health Plan Information
Informed decisions about health care options
can only be made by consumers who have access to uniform, comparable information about
health plans, plan policies, and providers. This bill requires managed care plans to
provide that information.
- Confidentiality
Patients need to know that their medical records are
kept confidential. This bill says that health plans must have appropriate safeguards to
ensure confidentiality, update records in a timely and accurate fashion, and allow
patients access to their records. It does not address the broad issue of medical records
confidentiality, which will require separate legislation.
- Ombudsman
The health care marketplace can be confusing. The
Democratic bill authorizes an ombudsman program in each state to assist consumers in
understanding health insurance options, filing appeals and grievances, etc.
QUALITY ASSURANCE AND IMPROVEMENT
- Quality Assurance
In order to constantly improve the quality of
health care provided, plans should be monitoring care given to their enrollees, especially
with regard to at-risk or chronically ill populations. The Democratic bill requires plans
to have a quality assurance program to monitor care and improve care.
- Data Collection
The Democratic bill requires plans to collect data
in order to monitor the quality of care provided to enrollees. Data must be in a standard
format so comparisons can be made across all plans.
- Advisory Board
A private/public Advisory Board would be established
to advise the Secretary on the standardized minimum data set and other activities to
improve health care quality.
- Provider Selection
Plans should not discriminate against providers
when selecting them for the network. The Democratic bill requires plans to have a written,
objective process for provider selection and forbids discrimination against providers
based on license, location or patient base. Plans would, however, be able to limit the
number and mix of providers as needed to serve enrollees for covered benefits.
- Utilization Review
When a plan is reviewing the medical decisions of
its practitioners, it should do so in a fair and rational manner. The Democratic bill lays
out basic criteria for a good utilization review program: physician participation in
development of review criteria, administration by appropriately qualified professionals,
timely decisions, and ability to appeal.
GRIEVANCE AND APPEALS
- Internal Grievances
Patients need to be able to appeal denials of
care and voice concerns about their plans. They also should have their concerns addressed
in a timely manner. Plans must maintain an internal grievance process that is expedient
and conducted by appropriately credentialed individuals. There also must be an expedited
process for special circumstances.
- External Grievances
For cases of sufficient seriousness or beyond a
certain monetary threshold, individuals must have access to an external, independent body
with the capability and authority to resolve these cases. In the Democratic bill, States
and the Department of Labor must establish an independent external appeals process for the
plans under their respective jurisdictions. The plan must pay the costs of the process,
and any decision is binding on the plan. Plans may not retaliate against providers who
advocate on behalf of their patients nor against patients who choose to access the appeals
process.
PROTECTING THE PROVIDER-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP
- Anti-Gag and Provider Incentive Plans
Consumers have the right to
know all of their treatment options. The Democratic bill prohibits plans from gagging
providers. It protects providers in these situations from retribution, and protects
providers who report quality problems to appropriate authorities from retribution. It also
prohibits plans from providing incentives to providers to limit medically necessary
services.
- Provider Due Process
Providers should receive reasonable notice of
termination and should be allowed to review any information behind the termination
decision and appeal such adverse determinations within the plan.
- Medical Necessity
Health plans should not be allowed to place
arbitrary limits on covered services. Treatment decisions should be made in accordance
with generally accepted principles and standards of professional medical practice. The
Democratic bill applies this standard for medically necessary care.
- Insurer Liability
Although health plans are increasingly involved in
health care decisions, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preempts
individuals in employer-sponsored plans from holding health plans legally accountable for
decisions to limit care that ultimately cause harm. Presently, an injured person can only
recover the dollar value of the benefit that was denied. The Democratic bill includes a
provision that would allow State law to determine whether or not a health care beneficiary
can bring a state cause of action against health plan administrators who cause harm
through their actions. The provision also protects employers from liability when they were
not involved in the decision.
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Prepared by the Committee on Energy and Commerce
2125 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
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