Word: hmos
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Room of the West Wing on the morning of June 21, she listened with pursed lips as Nick Calio, the White House legislative director, insisted that President Bush should threaten to veto the patients' bill of rights--legislation aimed at protecting people from the bureaucratic whims of profit-driven HMOs. The bill is badly flawed, Calio argued, and the V word is the only way to force Congress to make it more to Bush's liking. Hughes jumped into the fray. "Once we say veto," she replied, "that's all anyone's going to hear." To Hughes, the counselor responsible...
...patient's bill of rights he prefers just became tougher for President Bush because he strung along his friend, G.O.P. Congressman Charlie Norwood. When Democrat John Edwards introduced such a bill in the Senate last February, the White House opposed it largely because it let patients sue their HMOs for up to $5 million. The Administration got Norwood to hold off sponsoring a nearly identical bill in the House, promising to strike a compromise. Imagine his surprise when he found that Bush aides had secretly written a bill more to their liking with G.O.P. Senator Bill Frist, limiting jury awards...
...look forward to a full debate on this bill and will fight to ensure doctors are making medical decisions, not HMOs or trial lawyers. I believe that we will pass a Patients' Bill of Rights this year that meets the president's principles, provides patients the protections they need and keeps health care costs affordable...
...HMOs must be held accountable when they negligently cause harm to patients. Our proposal allows for unlimited economic damages for lost wages, future medical costs and other needs. However, we do propose limiting non-economic damages in order to keep health care costs from skyrocketing...
...Recent HMO industry studies indicate Americans may be losing interest in suing their HMOs. If substantiated, would that trend alter your determination to maintain a relatively low ceiling on damage awards...