By : U.S. Representative Bob Barr (GA-7)

Friday, August 6, 1999

One of the most troubling trends in American health policy in recent years is the diminishing role doctors play.  Not too long ago, physicians decided what kind of care was medically necessary.  The doctor-patient relationship was at the center of health-care decision making.  By contrast, all too often today, that decision is made largely by accountants or health care administrators in an office building far, far away from patients.

The problem with this system is self evident:  no one is better qualified to determine what care a patient needs than their doctor is.  Accounting firms and health insurance companies are full of very fine people.  However, we wouldn't count on our doctor to file our tax returns every year.  Why then should we give business professionals exclusive authority over our individual health care?

This is not to say corporations and health plans should not play a role in holding costs down and keeping health care affordable.  They should.  The problem under current law is that they are often the sole or final arbiter in determining what procedures a patient undergoes, what doctor they see,
and what prescriptions they can take.

For this reason, I have joined Representatives Charlie Norwood (R-GA) and Greg Ganske (R-IA) in backing bipartisan legislation that truly puts the rights of patients first.  While their bill is not perfect, it makes important changes.

Specifically, the Norwood-Ganske plan guarantees patient coverage for emergency room care they receive outside of their health plan.  It also gives women direct access to obstetricians and gynecologists, as well as giving children direct access to pediatricians.  Additionally, it ensures
people have access to clinical trial medications if experimental programs are the only way to treat their illness.

Importantly, this reform bill ensures health plans are held accountable, through an external panel of independent doctors who review adverse plan decisions.  It also gives patients a last recourse of filing limited lawsuits if they believe their plan is negligent.  Under current law, doctors are open to all kinds of litigation, but health plans are not.  This playing field should be leveled both by reforming medical malpractice laws to protect doctors from frivolous lawsuits, and by creating basic liability
to hold health plans accountable.  The plan also protects small businesses that provide health care plans for employees from lawsuits; instead, it focusses accountability on the insurer if that insurer makes decisions on what care is provided.

It is important not to underestimate the difficulty of the task we face. One the one hand, we must allow free market forces to hold down health care costs so insurance is as affordable as possible.  On the other hand, we should take steps to ensure the bottom line does not receive more attention
than the health and welfare of individual patients.

I believe the Ganske-Norwood legislation strikes this balance.  Greg Ganske is a surgeon, and Charlie Norwood is a dentist.  It is heartening and entirely appropriate that medical professionals are once again fighting a courageous battle to protect the rights of patients.  I am proud to join
them in this campaign.

Barr, who represents Georgia's Seventh Congressional District, serves on the House Banking, Judiciary, and Government Reform Committees.