Patient Protection Act

Bill: 108-hr-597
Sponsor: Rep. Norwood, Charles W. [R-GA-9]
Introduced: 2003-02-05 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Armed Forces and National Security
Breast cancer
Cancer
Child health
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Civil actions and liability
Clinical trials
Commerce
Communication in medicine
Confidential communications
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer complaints
Consumer education
Consumer protection
Delegation of powers
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Labor
Department of the Treasury
Discrimination in insurance
Discrimination in medical care
Drugs
Economics and Public Finance
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Employee health benefits
Families
Federal preemption
Federal-state relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Freedom of speech
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government employees' health insurance
Government publicity
Government trust funds
Grievance procedures
Gynecology
Health insurance
Health insurance continuation
Health maintenance organizations
Indian medical care
Insurance premiums
Labor and Employment
Law
Legislation
Liability (Law)
Licenses
Managed care
Mastectomy
Medicaid
Medical economics
Medical malpractice
Medically uninsured
Medicare
Military medicine
Minorities
Obstetrics
Old age, survivors and disability insurance
Ovarian cancer
Patient satisfaction
Patients' rights
Physician-patient privilege
Physicians
Preventive medicine
Quality of care
Social Welfare
Standards
State laws
Surgery
Telephone
Veterans' medical care
Women
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2003-02-05
text: Patient Protection Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to health care coverage.
Requires group health plans and health insurance issuers providing health insurance coverage to have approved utilization review programs, claims procedures, and appeal procedures concerning claims denials.
Sets forth provisions concerning group health plans and health insurers and the provision of certain advice and care, including: (1) emergency care; (2) obstetric and gynecological care; (3) specialists care; (4) prescription drugs; (5) participation in approved clinical trials; and (6) health plan information.
Restricts interference by health plans and insurers with the doctor-patient relationship.
Prohibits health plans and insurers from discriminating against a licensed health care professional with respect to participation or indemnification.
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) men and women battling life-threatening, deadly diseases, including advanced breast or ovarian cancer, should have the opportunity to participate in a federally approved or funded clinical trial; (2) a child battling a rare cancer should be allowed to go to a cancer center capable of providing high quality care for that disease; and (3) every patient who is denied care by a health maintenance organization or other health insurance company should have a fair, speedy and impartial appeal to a review organization that has not been selected by the health plan.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-03-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.
action_date: 2003-02-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-02-20
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-02-05
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-02-05
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-02-05
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-02-05
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-02-05
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-02-05
text: Introduced in House