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WASHINGTON Adrienne Mitchem, legislative counsel at the Washington, D.C. office of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine released the following statement reacting to the news that the President's Advisory Commission has completed its work and is submitting its report to President Clinton today:
Consumers Union applauds this commission for urging that every American in a health care plan should be afforded the Consumer Bill of Rights. This conclusion adds big momentum to urgency spreading across Capitol Hill to get legislation enacted before Congress goes home this year.
Consumers want a medical system that puts medical decisions back in the hands of patients and their doctors. Doctors, not accountants, should be calling the shots on health care and without the protections of a Consumer Bill of Rights, managed care plans will continue to get the green light to put profits over people.
CU is troubled that the President's Commission failed to reach a consensus on the issue of remedies consumers can use when the system has failed them. It is our position that consumers should not be left holding the bag for medical mistakes or bear the financial burdens created by someone else's medical negligence.
A real crisis of confidence exists for the American public about whether managed care systems have the ability to deliver quality care when it is needed --- passing the Consumer Bill of Rights, without delay, can help restore that confidence.
President Clinton has laid down a challenge to Congress and his actions earlier this month extending the Consumer Bill of Rights automatically to federal employees, Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and Members of Congress turns up the heat. The burden is now on Congress to finish the vital work of this commission and extend to every American the same managed care consumer protections Congress already enjoys.
