Consumer Protection in Health Care

Abstract

This article traces the evolution of the consciousness that has occurred relative to consumer protection and quality in health care, discussing the 1997 Advisory Commission Report on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. The end result of the commission deliberations was the Consumer Bill of Rights that addresses explicit consumer rights and cover information disclosure and privacy, choice of providers and plans, access to emergency care, participation in treatment decisions, respect and nondiscrimination, confidentiality of health information, and complaints and appeals. Once the bill was finalized, the Clinton administration began actively working to implement the new patient protections. Congressional activity also accelerated and took the form of managed care patient protections and ultimately managed care reform. The author presents and analyzes a number of the bills that have been introduced in the 106th Congress, and provides a summary of legislative activity relative to managed care reform.