Indeed, there is a groundswell of frustration on the part of the public with the high-handed way they are treated by their health insurance companies.
Many patients find that their proper medical care has been sacrificed to the profit of insurers.
For these reasons, Congress must help allay patients' concerns by establishing, by law, procedures for an aggrieved patient to appeal and overturn medical decisions made by his or her insurer. Dr. Pat Nolan, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, moderated the event, at which health care providers from an array of different specialties had an opportunity to discuss federal health care policy with the two legislators. The Senate bill would not provide the right to sue, and would cover only 48 million Americans. The two bills are currently before a House-Senate Conference, which is attempting to resolve the differences. Since joining the Senate, Chafee, like his father, the late Senator John Chafee, has been very active in pushing for passage of broad patients' rights legislation.