New Patients‘ Rights Bill Introduced
Thursday, February 6th, 2003 Liability Workers' CompensationRep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga., formally relaunched his effort to get a so-called "Patients‘ Bill of Rights" enacted by introducing a new bill Wednesday. The new bill omits provisions previous measures had that employers feared would expose them to new legal liability for the acts of the plans they sponsor. The measure would require, though, that a patient have the right to an external review when a health plan refuses to cover a physician‘s recommended course of action. It also would allow states to adopt a more stringent review than any federal law. The measure also mandates that the plans cover access to a variety of medical services. Rep. Norwood also introduced an "ERISA Clarification Act" in tandem with the patient protection bill.
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