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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release September 17, 1999

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

I am pleased that the House of Representatives will have an opportunity in just a few weeks to vote on a strong, enforceable patients' bill of rights. This will, at long last, give members of Congress an opportunity to put patients' interests ahead of the special interests.

A bipartisan majority of the House has already expressed support for the Norwood-Dingell proposal, a plan that would provide for an enforceable set of meaningful patient protections that would be extended to all Americans in all health plans. I am confident that the Norwood-Dingell patients' bill of rights will be adopted, if the House leadership permits a fair process for debating and voting on this important issue.

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