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American Morning

Patients' Bill of Rights May Pass House

Aired August 02, 2001 - 11:04   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: In other news, we have the patients' bill of rights. It is -- it was in critical condition just hours ago, but now it looks like it's going to pass the House and maybe as early as today. President Bush pushed his new compromise version of the bill on Capitol Hill this morning. This, after he cut a deal with a key sponsor of the legislation.

Now, the agreement, which would water down legislation that was passed in the Senate, left some key players in the patients' rights issue feeling that they were double crossed.

Our congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl joins us now from Capitol Hill with their perspective -- Jon.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, it certainly looked like the president's versions of a patients' bill of rights was on, was in critical condition, on life support. But then an act of really high political drama here late yesterday. The president peeled off a key supporter of a rival plan that probably would have passed the House, that seemed poised to pass the House today.

Charlie Norwood, a Republican, a dentist who had been working with Democrats like Ted Kennedy for years on a patients' bill of rights is now working with the White House. They have crafted a compromise that looks like it will pass the Congress. The House is going to be debating this in just a couple of hours.

You take that success for the president combined with late last night the House of Representatives passing the core of his energy plan and that's leaving Republicans both here on Capitol Hill and at the White House giddy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:

(AUDIO GAP)

... tremendous vote last night on the House floor on energy. A lot of the pundits said we'll never get an energy bill out of the Congress and we had a, I thought, a surprisingly strong vote over here last night for a good, sound, solid, comprehensive, long-term energy plan. We've worked out an arrangement yesterday on a patients' bill of rights and expect that legislation to pass through the House before the members go home this week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: That was Vice President Cheney just about an hour or so ago after he met with both Republican leaders in the House and the Senate and President Bush here on Capitol Hill, somewhat of a celebratory meeting, praising what they think is two strong victories here on two key issues before the Congress goes out on August recess.

But this is not over here, Leon. As a matter of fact, many of Charlie Norwood, the Republican of Georgia, many of his partners on the patients' bill of rights think that they are, they have been essentially betrayed by Norwood or sold out. They do not like this compromise. They do not think it is a compromise that will do enough to protect patients and HMOs.

Here's what Senator John Edwards, who's been leading that fight, formally what John Edwards said late last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), NORTH CAROLINA: This discussion because Congressman Norwood and the White House is a bad proposal for America's families. It, the United States Senate did not participate in it. It maintains the ongoing special status that HMOs have. If HMOs are going to make health care decisions and overrule doctors, they ought to be treated exactly the same way as doctors are treated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: Now what's happening here over on the House side is supporters of the president's plan are trying to keep everybody on board for this compromise and those that had been working with Charlie Norwood are scrambling to try to defeat this. This debate is expected to start later this afternoon. We are expecting a vote late tonight on this -- Leon.

HARRIS: Jon, as I read the papers this morning, some others on the Hill were grumbling that perhaps Congressman Norwood gave away too much in his reaching an agreement with President Bush on this. Is it clear exactly what was given away and who did give the giving?

KARL: Well, this all comes down to the issue of liability and suing HMOs. And basically the White House had always said that they wanted a plan that would allow you to sue HMOs for pain and suffering but cap damages at $500,000. The deal that they hammered out brings that up to $1.5 million, but to the people that Charlie Norwood had been working for, people like Senators Ted Kennedy, John Edwards and John McCain, that's not enough.

They had been pushing for a cap closer to $5 million and they also believe that in this compromise, that Congressman Norwood gave away too much in terms of it's harder now, they say, for patients to actually get a chance to sue under this because they have to go through an onerous review process, an external review process before they actually get to take the case to court. HARRIS: All right, thanks much, Jonathan Karl on Capitol Hill. We appreciate that.

Now, coming up in the next half hour of CNN LIVE THIS MORNING, an in depth look at the patients' bill of rights. We'll talk with Ron Brownstein, who's a political columnist for the "Los Angeles Times" and we'll get his take on the maneuvering that's going on behind this bill.

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