Prostate Cancer

Newswire : Releases : "FTCR: Will Brownback Betray Kansas State Patients'..." FTCR: Will Brownback Betray Kansas State Patients' Rights Laws and Allow Insurers Federal Right To Sell Junk Health Policies?

3/28/2006 10:12:00 AM To: State Desk Contact: Jerry Flanagan, 310-392-0522 ext.

319, or David Fink, 310-392-0522 ext.

320, both of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights TOPEKA, Kan., March 28 /U.S.

Newswire/ - Kansas Sen.

Sam Brownback (R) will cast a critical patient protection vote in the U.S.

Senate as early as this week determining whether an over- reaching bill to dismantle state oversight of health insurance and hard-won HMO patients' rights will move forward.

The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) urged Kansas patients to contact Brownback and call on him to oppose the bill at http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/.

Sen.

Brownback has taken $62,000 in campaign contributions from the insurance industry since 2001, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The legislation, S.

1955 (Enzi, R-Wyo.), would gut state Patient Bill of Rights laws established in 41 states and remove local state oversight to replace them with weaker or non-existent "harmonized" federal standards.

State rules at risk include Kansas laws requiring health insurance plans to provide cervical, prostate and breast cancer screenings and guaranteeing an independent review if an insurer denies coverage.

For an analysis of the...

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