The Senate debate on what has come to be known as the "Patients' Bill of Rights" is the focus of this week¹s In the News. The call for legislation of this type has garnered increased attention and support over the past two years as complaints have mounted over the often unappealable decisions of HMOs to deny coverage or restrict access. While both Democrats and Republicans favor such legislation,...

This new 37-page report from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation focuses on the different versions of H.R. 2990, patient protection legislation, passed in the House and Senate last year. A Conference Committee is presently working on reconciling the bills, and here readers can get an overview of their similarities and differences. In addition to this broad look at the legislation, the report...