Texas Democrats blast Bush over patient rights

[CShine]

AUSTIN -- Two Democratic Texas lawmakers today blasted Republican President Bush for his record on patient rights legislation. State Rep. Elliott Naishtat of Austin and Sen. Rodney Ellis of Houston criticized Bush for refusing to support Texas' 1997 patient protection legislation, but taking credit for it while campaigning for president in 2000. Both were speaking on a conference call arranged by presidential hopeful John Kerry's campaign.

Their criticisms were prompted by a Monday ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, which mandated that patients can't seek damage awards in court if their HMOs refuse to pay for doctor-recommended medical care, rejecting arguments that the threat of multimillion-dollar lawsuits keeps insurance companies honest. The unanimous decision invalidated an important part of patient rights laws in several states, including the one in Texas.

Ellis asserted that Bush, through the solicitor general in arguments before the Supreme Court, opposed a patient's right to sue. In 1997, then-Gov. Bush allowed the Texas legislation to become law without signing it. Two years earlier, Bush vetoed a similar bill, the first to include a patient's right to sue in Texas. That bill had garnered near unanimous support in the state Legislature.

"This makes the case that the Bush administration is simply out of touch and lacks any credibility on health care issues," Ellis said. "He opposed the Patient's Bill of Rights when governor, then took credit for it in 2000, then asked the Supreme Court to kill it."


http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/2641542

[bluestateguy]

1. Texas Democrats (Or what's left of them)

All 13 of them. It will be one less once I take my Democratic vote to a state where it will be worth something.