Instead of exposing employers to lawsuits, the CARE Act creates incentives for small employers to purchase health coverage for their employees while creating a system under which virtually no HMO or insurance company will risk refusing to pay for the treatment physicians determine a patient needs. Patients don't want lawsuits. They want a system that punishes HMOs severely if they refuse to provide the treatment physicians prescribe. Patients want CARE, not court.
Lawsuits only happen after a patient has been wronged, when it's usually too late.
The CARE Act ensures that you and your family get the care you need, when you need it. That is the real objective of managed care reform. The CARE Act also speeds up internal reviews for patients and requires that external reviews be expedited for patients with urgent conditions. The CARE Act would also expand access to health coverage by making it easier for those who don't have employer-based coverage to purchase health insurance on their own, through new Medical Savings Accounts and tax reforms providing full deductibility of health expenses. More than 124 million Americans get their health coverage through their employer - a benefit employers are able to provide voluntarily for their employees because of laws that ensure quality for patients while shielding their employers from the threat of liability and litigation.