Press Release February 26, 1998	Contact: 202/462-6262 Adrienne Mitchem, mitcad@consumer.org Kathleen McShea, mcshka@consumer.org Consumer Union Washington, D. C. Office

Consumers Union: Give America the Same Consumer Protections as Congress

WASHINGTON -- Following is a statement from Adrienne Mitchem, Legislative Counsel for the Washington, D.C., office of Consumers Union urging members of Congress to pass legislation that creates managed care consumer protections for the privately insured.

Now that the President has ordered that a Consumer Bill of Rights be extended to members of Congress, federal employees and Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries, the burden is on Congress to act swiftly. How can lawmakers on Capitol Hill justify not acting to give the rest of America the same consumer protections they themselves will soon enjoy?

Unless Congress passes legislation that extends consumer protections to all managed care enrollees, federal employees in managed care plans -- including members of Congress -- will get a higher standard of consumer protections than privately-insured Americans. The rest of us in the managed care plans will continue to be trapped in a patchwork system of state and federal oversight riddled with loopholes.

With a stroke of a pen, the President has extended some very basic and vital consumer protections to one-third of all Americans, and now it is up to Congress to finish the job and ensure that every managed care enrollee receives the same consumer protections.

• The linchpin for consumers is a fair appeals system that gives patients access to an independent entity to settle disputes over medically necessary care when benefits are denied, terminated or delayed. The current system is stacked against patients because the managed care company is both judge and jury. 
• Families shouldn't shoulder the financial burdens of medical negligence; industry must be accountable for its actions; 
• Plans should be required to provide consumers with full information to help them understand all their treatment options, not just the cheapest. 
• Finally, these consumer protections must be made enforceable. Voluntary reforms are not enough.

When you get sick, doctors, not accountants should call the shots. Congress can restore consumer confidence in the managed care system by passing the Consumer bill of rights without delay.

NOTE: To receive a side-by-side analysis of the major managed care proposals now before Congress, dial up CU's fax back line at 202/462-6262 and ask for document number 3501

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