President's Advisory Commission Releases
Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
On November 20, 1997, a Presidential Advisory Commission released a proposed Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities in health care. In a report to President Clinton, the Commission said, "American Consumers and their families are experiencing an historic transition of the U.S. system of health care financing and delivery."
The Commission states that a Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities "can help to establish a stronger relationship of trust among consumers, health care professionals, health care institutions, and health plans by helping to sort out the responsibilities of each of these participants in a system that promotes quality improvement."
The Consumer Bill of Rights has three goals:
To strengthen consumer confidence by assuring the health care system is fair and responsive to consumers' needs, by providing consumers with credible and effective mechanisms to address their concerns, and by encouraging consumers to take an active role in improving and assuring their health.
To reaffirm the importance of a strong relationship between patients and their health care professionals.
To reaffirm the critical role consumers play in safeguarding their own health by establishing both rights and responsibilities for all participants in improving health status.
Co-chaired by Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala and Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman, the Commission's 34 members, included a broad-based representation from consumers, businesses, labor, health care providers, health plans, and health care quality and financing experts.
The Commission is also working on a final comprehensive report on creating a quality improvement framework for the health care industry. The report is due to President Clinton by March 30, 1998.
Free copies of the Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities are available on the World Wide Web at the White House Web site (www.whitehouse.gov).
To obtain a printed copy of the report, call 1 (800)732-8200 or write to Consumer Bill of Rights, Box 2429, Columbia, MD 21045-1429.
CONSUMER AFFAIRS BULLETIN
Vol. 3, No 1, Winter 1997
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