For Immediate Release
Thursday, July 09, 1998
AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee to Sen. Trent Lott: The Patients' Bill of Rights Is Not a Cause for Political Games; Time Is Running Out: Save America's Health Care System
Responding to the latest onslaught of political games on Capitol Hill designed to kill the Patients' Bill of Rights, the President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Gerald W. McEntee, which represents more than 360,000 health care workers nationwide, called on Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) to stop stalling and prove to Americans that Congress is not going to play political delaying tactics any longer at the expense of their health care.
"Senate Majority Lott may look at blocking passage of the Patients' Bill of Rights as an opportunity to protect the insurance industry. But to Americans across the country, these stalling tactics will lead to more delays and denials of medical treatment as they wait for Congress to clean up the mess the insurance industry has created," McEntee said in a statement released to Congress.
"Among the reasons AFSCME supports the Patients' Bill of Rights is that it will provide patients access to needed specialists, time to recuperate properly in the hospital, and, through the 'whistleblowers' provision, will give doctors and nurses the ability to advocate for their patients without losing their jobs."
