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American Morning
Senate Hopes to Finish Patients' Bill of Rights Debate Today
Aired June 28, 2001 - 11:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Debate goes on in the U.S. Senate over a patients' bill of rights. For the latest on the story, let's check in now with our Jeanne Meserve, who's standing by, as usual, in Washington.
Morning, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.
With so many competing proposals to help patients without bankrupting employers to limit lawsuits while improving health care coverage, the Senate chaplain today figured lawmakers could use a hand from a higher authority.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD OGILVIE, SENATE CHAPLAIN: Help the senators to complete legislation that will assure the best care for the most people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Getting to a compromise, and one that wins President Bush's approval is the ultimate goal.
CNN's Kate Snow is up on Capitol Hill.
Kate, you have some fresh information on the administration's strategy to get such a bill. Tell us about it.
KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right Jeanne, a senior Republican aide here on Capitol Hill tells me that Vice President Cheney was just here, just moments ago meeting with Republican leaders in the Senate trying to work out what their strategy will be. The big question for Republicans right now is should they keep trying to amend or change the bill that's pending before the Senate right now, or should they simply cut and run? Should they just say, look, we've done the best we can, we'll let the House of Representatives now take up some of our issues and add some provisions that President Bush would really like to see.
The president very much focused now on the House of Representatives. In fact, Jeanne, he's going to be inviting another group of House Republican members over to the White House this afternoon to talk with them to try to convince them to back his version of a patients' bill of rights.
MESERVE: And Kate, the debate continued in the Senate this morning, this time about state rights versus the federal government?
SNOW: That's right. A number of issues coming up today, Jeanne. The first one this morning is, if a state already has a version of patient protection on its book, does it need to then change its laws because of the federal patients' bill of rights that could pass here in the Congress? And that was the issue that was debated this morning.
(AUDIO GAP)
MESERVE: ... for joining us.
And Daryn and Leon, let me tell you that Majority Leader Tom Daschle hopes that debate will be wrapped up in the Senate today.
HARRIS: We shall see; we shall see. We'll be watching. Thanks, Jeanne; we'll talk to you later on.
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