Bill Summary
Major Provisions of S. 1344
The following summarizes the major provisions of S. 1344, the Patients’ Bill of Rights, as passed by the Senate on July 15, 1999. Patient Protection Standards for Self-Funded Plans Since States already regulate fully insured health plans, thebill provides that the following standards would apply to the48 million Americans covered by self-funded group health plansgoverned exclusively by the Employee Retirement Income SecurityAct (ERISA).Emergency Care. Plans would be required to use the "prudentlayperson" standard for providing in-network or out- of-networkemergency services at the same cost sharing for the patient. Therequired services would include emergency ambulance services,emergency screening exams, stabilization, and care…
