"The Republican claim that they are on the side of patients is like the

Big Bad Wolf claiming he's on the side of Little Red Riding Hood," states

House Democratic Leader Mike Hanley.

Hanley went on to assert that a statewide advertisement touting Republican

support for a Patients' Bill of Rights is nothing but "snake oil" for sale

to a public that desperately wants HMO reform.

"The only way Republicans can win on health care is to lie about their

record to the senior citizens and families of Michigan," Hanley said. "I

have a message for Michigan families: Be careful of buying the snake oil

Republicans are selling on TV."

The Republican ad states that the GOP: "passed a Patients Bill of Rights

that puts medical decisions in the hands of patients and doctors, not

bureaucrats."  In fact, Republicans this year put the State Insurance

Commissioner  - a top state bureaucrat and Republican political appointee -

in charge of judging HMO decisions. (House Bill 5576). Republicans defeated

a Democratic amendment to put health decisions squarely in the hands of

doctors by requiring HMOs to pay for covered medical treatment that is

prescribed by a doctor (House Roll Call 524 of 2000). Republicans also

defeated a Democratic amendment to allow patients to sue their HMOs if they

are denied necessary treatment (House Roll Call 531 of 2000).

"The Republican response to patients suffering under the control of

insurance company bureaucrats was to put the state's top insurance

bureaucrat in charge of their medical care," said Hanley. "Republicans

voted against putting doctors in charge of treatment. They voted against

giving patients the right to sue when bureaucrats overrule doctors' medical

decisions."

Hanley said Democrats would continue to pursue a comprehensive health care

reform agenda that has been ignored by House Republicans for two years.  If

Democrats are elected back into control of the State House and Senate they

will give patients the right to sue their HMO if they are denied needed

medical care, they would put doctors in charge by requiring HMOs to pay for

covered benefits that doctors say are necessary for patients, and they

would create a statewide prescription drug program to give every senior age

50 or older a 50% discount on their out-of-pocket prescription drug

expenses.