Patient's Bill Of Rights example essay topic

TOM DASCHLE Tom Daschle was born into a working class family on December 9, 1947 in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Tom was the eldest of four brothers and became the first to graduate from college in 1969 with a political science degree form South Dakota State University. After graduating college, Tom joined the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command. Tom served three years as an intelligence officer. After the Air Force, Tom became an aide to then South Dakota Senator James Abourezk.

In 1978 Tom was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served four terms and soon became part of the Democratic Leadership. In 1979 he was elected Rocky Mountain Regional Whip and from 1982-1986, Tom remained Whip-at-large. Tom quickly gained a reputation for humility and a willingness to compromise. He also became known to his critics as a wolfish partisan, whose strong opinions were only partially disguised by a lamb's demeanor. In 1986, Tom ran for the U.S. Senate where he won a tough contest against the incumbent James Abn or. After being elected, Tom received the honor of being appointed to the Senate Finance Committee.

Tom became the first South Dakota Senator to be appointed a leadership position when in 1988, Senate Democratic Leader George Mitchell selected Tom the first ever co-chair of the Democratic Policy Committee. Tom Daschle was the first U.S. Senator to hire a full-time economic development director and he also made it easier for South Dakotans to reach him by establishing a toll-free telephone line to his office. South Dakotans re-elected Tom to the Senate in 1992 and 1998. In addition to his leadership duties, Tom also serves as a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Veterans Committee, Indian Affairs Committee, Finance Committee, and the Ethic Committee.

Senator Daschle has insisted on fiscal responsibility and discipline from both Congress and the White House. Urging his policy of fiscal responsibility, Senator Daschle has advised Congress to use the unprecedented budget surpluses to pay down the national debt, lock up Social Security and Medicare for future generations, cut taxes for working families and invest in other important priorities such as agriculture, education, crime fighting and healthcare. Tom has pushed for fair competition for family farmers and ranchers and worked to make certain that quality education and healthcare are made available to rural communities. Senator Daschle constantly fights for Veterans to get them the benefits they deserve for their dedication to our country. Tom has also fought for legislation protecting the rights of Native Americans.

He has also ensured that rural Americans are not left behind in the "New Economy". He ensures this by fighting for universal access to the latest technology and technical training. Senator Daschle has also been a strong supporter of Community Oriented Policing Service or COPS, which has been successful in bringing police officers closer to the communities they live in. Senator Daschle supports a 'Patient's Bill of Rights' whereby power would be transferred to the purchaser instead of the provider.

The central objectives of the 'Patient's Bill of Rights' are to ensure that: o Patients will have access to needed care Doctors are free to practice medicine without improper HMO and insurance company interference o A health plan's decision to deny care can be appealed by patients to an independent entity o Health plans are held accountable for their medical decisions that lead to harm The 'Patient's Bill of Rights' allows patients to go to any emergency room during a medical emergency, without having to call a health plan for permission. Emergency room physicians can stabilize their patients and plan for a cure after stabilization without fear that health plans will deny coverage. The 'Patient's Bill of Rights' ensures that patients who suffer from a chronic condition or a disease that requires care by a specialists will have access to a qualified specialist. If the HMO does not include specialists qualified to treat a condition, such as a pediatric cardiologist to treat a child's heart defect, it would have to allow the patient to see a qualified doctor outside its network at no extra cost.

The 'Patient's Bill of Rights' also allows patients with serious ongoing conditions to choose a specialist as their primary doctor or to see that doctor without having to ask their HMO for permission before every visit. The 'Patient's Bill of Rights' allows a woman to have direct access to her OB / GYN without having to get a referral from her HMO. Women also would have the option to designate their OB / GYN as their primary care physician. The 'Patient's Bill of Rights' ensures that patients with drug coverage will be able to obtain needed medications, even if they are not on the HMO's approved list.

The 'Patient's Bill of Rights' protects the doctor-patient relationship and ensures that doctors drive medical decisions. The 'Patient's Bill of Rights' prevents HMOs from interfering with doctors' communications with their patients. Doctors cannot be penalized for referring patients to specialists or discussing costly medical procedures. Under the 'Patient's Bill of Rights', HMOs are prevented from inappropriately interfering with doctors' judgement's and cannot mandate drive-through procedures or set arbitrary limits on hospital lengths of stay.

The 'Patient's Bill of Rights' limits insurance companies' ability to use financial incentives to get doctors to deny care. The 'Patient's Bill of Rights' ensures that patients who are denied care by an insurance company can appeal the decision to an independent reviewer with medical and legal expertise, and receive timely decisions that are binding on the HMO. The 'Patient's Bill of Rights' addresses three basic issues for Americans': o Getting the care they " ve been promised and have paid for Securing basic protection so Limiting HMO and insurance company interference with doctors' decisions These basic issues restore balance between quality care and reasonable cost containment. On January 4, 2002, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle made some remarks on America's Economy: Rising to our New Challenges. In his remarks, Senator Daschle proposed some ideas to get the economic stimulus debate back on track.

First was to pass a new Jobs Creation Tax Credit. This tax cut would be available to every business in America. It says, simply, that if you increase your payroll, hire new people, restore hours that have been cut, or give your workers a raise, you " ll be reimbursed for all of the extra payroll taxes. Second, better protection against terrorists attacks and the economic damage they cause.

Homeland security will provide economic stimulus because it will increase confidence and spur spending. Third, restore long-term fiscal integrity to our budget to bring long-term interest rates down. Low interest rates help families afford college, buy cars, purchase homes and pay off credit card debt. Fourth, invest in education, training, and technology to promote job creation and economic growth. It's essential that the federal government continue to be a good partner, so that American tech companies can continue to lead the world. Fifth, open new markets and help workers who are hurt by trade.

Assistance to all workers hurt by global production shifts. These workers should be taught new skills needed to make a living. Expanded trade will provide billions and billions of dollars in economic growth for the United States. Sixth, a balanced national energy plan.

A energy plan is needed to steer us towards energy independence. The Administration has been pushing an energy plan that is based mainly on opening sensitive wilderness areas to oil drilling. The plan includes provisions to improve the efficiency of America's electrical transmission system, improve the supply and distribution of traditional energy resources like oil and gas, and invest in clean coal technologies. Seventh get serious about retirement security. Social Security and Medicare may be the most successful government programs in history. They reflect our values, by guaranteeing, after a lifetime of work, a retirement with dignity.

Some of the issues Tom Daschle agrees and disagrees on are: Favors: o Abortion is a woman's right. o Require companies to hire more women & minorities. o Sexual orientation protected by civil right so More federal funding for health coverage o Support and Expand of Free Trade More spending on Armed Forces Personnel Reduce spending on Missile Defense Continue Foreign Aid to Russia, Israel, and other so Spend Resources to Stop Global Warming Opposes: o Teach moral standards in Public Schools Privatize Social Security Parents choose Schools via Voucher so Death Penalty Mandatory "Three Strikes" Sentencing Laws Absolute right to gun ownership o Make Income Tax flatter & lower Link Human Rights to Trade with China Drug use is immoral; enforce laws against ito Allow churches to provide welfare services Tom Daschle is commended by his political foes and allies for his grasp of complex issues and is popular in all 66 counties of South Dakota. Tom makes it a point to travel each of the counties to meet with citizens and hear what's on their minds. Tom focuses and fights for the issues that are important to the people of South Dakota.