John Dingell

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Fazio).

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Klink).

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutsch). (Mr. DEUTSCH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner).

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver).

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the chairman of our task force on this matter.

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo).

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown).

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott). (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske), my distinguished friend, for purposes of offering the amendment.

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Christian-Green), a physician of family medicine who has good advice for my colleagues. (Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry).

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield two minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Roukema). (Mrs. ROUKEMA asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar). (Mr. OBERSTAR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield two minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) the ranking member on the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Stark). (Mr. STARK asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Speaker, we face a clear choice today between two different approaches. The first, the Patients' Bill of Rights was written last year and revised in March. The other piece of legislation, the Republican leadership bill, was still being written after midnight last night. The Patients' Bill of Rights has been scored by the CBO at a cost of $2 per month per patient, and we provided revenue offsets to ensure fiscal responsibility. The leadership's bill was never even seen by the CBO and has not been read by the Members. Only minutes ago did we get a final score from CBO. Since it does nothing, it costs nothing. I think my colleagues should note, a bill that does nothing costs nothing. The Patients' Bill of Rights guarantees real patient rights. It puts health back into the Health Maintenance Organization. The Republican leadership bill has the word HMO. In that bill, HMO stands for hide my opposition. If our primary concern is health care for the American people, the choice is clear. The Patients' Bill of Rights puts medical decisions, especially the question of medical necessity into the hands of doctors and takes them away from insurance company bureaucrats who now are hurting the American public. The Patients' Bill of Rights guarantees that we can see a medical specialist when we need one. The Patients' Bill of Rights says that, if you are a pregnant woman or cancer patient, you will continue to be able to see your doctor when you need continuity of care. The Patients' Bill of Rights guarantees that we will be able to get the prescriptions that we need. The Patients' Bill of Rights holds health plans accountable when they have denied health care and when their decision kills or injures somebody. The Patients' Bill of Rights protects the confidentiality of our medical records, and the Republican bill does not. The Republican bill even has one interesting thing. It goes so far as to repeal existing consumer protection laws that help patients. I want my colleagues to hear that. Last of all, I want my colleagues to look at the roster of supporters of the Patients' Bill of Rights: AMA, all the health care specialists, the nurses, and all of the consumers and aging organizations. The American people want the Patients' Bill of Rights. If we want to serve them, we will vote for the Patients' Bill of Rights today. I want to particularly single out my good friend and colleague, Dr. Ganske for his leadership and courage on this issue. He is a man of integrity and stands up for what he believes in. He deserves great credit. I also want to commend the work of the staff in the development of the Patients Bill of Rights. Among our staff Bridgett Taylor, Amy Droskoski, and Bernadette Fernandez have worked tirelessly on the bill for many months.

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Forbes), my distinguished friend. (Mr. FORBES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske) and note that he has been instrumental in bringing us to where we are today. I salute him for it and thank him on behalf of my colleagues.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green). (Mr. GREEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, who has the right to close debate on this bill?

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt) the minority leader, for purposes of concluding debate. (Mr. GEPHARDT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)