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WHITE HOUSE BACKGROUNDER November 2, 1998
Click here (aspe.os.dhhs.gov/health/vpreport.htm) for an HHS report on Medicare and Medicaid compliance with the Patients' Bill of Rights.
Today, President Clinton urged voters to send back a Congress that shares his commitment to passing a strong enforceable patients' bill of rights next year. The President also emphasized that while the Republican Leadership has stalled an the patients' bill of rights, the Administration has been doing everything possible to implement these protections in Federal health plans. To that end, he unveiled a report from the Vice President documenting action that the Federal government is taking within its authority to implement the patients' bill of rights in the health plans it administers or oversees. Today, the President:
Criticized Republican Leadership for allowing Congress to adjourn without passing a strong patients' bill of rights. For a full year, the President has been calling on the Congress to pass a strong enforceable patients' bill of rights. For months, the Republican Leadership used every possible stall tactic to thwart the patients' bill of rights. When the Republican Leadership finally did introduce a bill, their proposal contained more loopholes than patient protections. It did not contain critical protections such as access to specialists and offered false promises such as an appeals process that left the decisions in the hands of HMO accountants. In fact, Senator Lott would not even allow an up or down vote to be held on this issue.
Urged voters to choose a Congress committed to passing a meaningful patients' bill of rights. President Clinton committed to doing everything possible to pass a strong patients' bill of rights in the next Congress and urged Americans to go to the polls tomorrow to elect a Congress that shares this commitment. This legislation should include enforceable patient protections, such as access to specialists, coverage of emergency room services when and where the need arises, continuity of care protections, an internal and independent external appeals process to appeal decisions made by HMO accountants, and protections to assure that HMOs are held accountable when patients are harmed or injured due to a health plan�s decisions.
Released report from the Vice President that highlighted that while the Republican Leadership delayed, the Administration is acting to implement patient protections in Federal health plans. In February, the President directed Medicare, Medicaid, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, the Department of Defense Military Health Program, and the Veteran's Health Program -- which serve over 85 million Americans - to, where possible, come into compliance with the patients' bill of rights outlined by the President's Quality Commission. Today, the Vice President released a report highlighting that these agencies have taken all the action within their statutory authority to implement patient protections. As a result, the Federal health plans are now, or soon will be, in virtual compliance with the patients' bill of rights. The report documents that:
The 39 million Medicare beneficiaries are benefiting from critical patient protections. Building on Medicare's commitment to provide essential patient protections, HHS published an Interim Final rule, in June, that includes a series of new patient protections for Medicare beneficiaries. When this rule is fully implemented, Medicare will be virtually in compliance with the patients' bill of rights including new protections such as access to emergency services when and where the need arises, patient participation in treatment decisions, and access to specialists.
The 38 million Medicaid beneficiaries are being assured essential protections in the patients bill of rights.In September, the Health Care Financing Administration published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) adding new patients protections for Medicaid beneficiaries, such as access to specialists and an expedited independent appeals process to bring the program in compliance with the patients' bill of rights, where possible.
Over eight million Americans will receive the protections in the patients' but of rights by the end of this year as a result of the new policy directive assured by the Defense Department�s Military Health System (MHS). In response to the President's directive, DoD issued "The Patients' Bill of Rights and Responsibilities in the Military Health System," a major policy directive to all participants in the MRS. This directive outlined new protections for the over 8 million beneficiaries served by MHS, including access to appropriate specialists for women's health needs and chronic illnesses and rights for the full discussion of treatment options and of financial incentives. With this directive, which will be fully implemented by the end of this yew, DoD will now be in compliance with the patients' bill of rights.
Over three million veterans are or will soon be assured virtually all patient protections'. In July, the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) issued an information Memorandum to participating health Providers announcing its intention to have an external appeals process in place by the end of the year, Similarly, DVA established a task force to make recommendations as to how best implement information disclosure requirements consistent with Commission's recommendations and has developed a new brochure to provide beneficiaries the necessary information. With the implementation of these new protections DVA is in virtual compliance with the patients' bill of rights.
The 125 million Americans covered by ERISA still are not assured critical patient protections because the Department of Labor does not have the authority to implement them without legislation. DoL, oversees the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), governing approximately 2.5 million private sector health plans, that cover about 125 million Americans, issued a new regulation to implement an expedited internal appeals process and information disclosure requirements. However, DoL�s report underscores that unless Congress passes Federal legislation, they do not have the authority to implement most patient protections.