BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FLORENCE -- Democratic congressional candidate Ken Lucas used an endorsement this week from the American Hospital Association to unveil his platform on health care.
Mr. Lucas, of Richwood in Boone County, received the endorsement at St. Luke Hospital West in Florence, where he has served on the hospital foundation's board for eight years.
"Mr. Lucas has been involved in the St. Luke's Hospital Foundation for years, seeking new and creative ways to improve the financial health of the hospital," Kentucky Hospital Association President Mike Rust said in a statement announcing the endorsement.
"The local Kentucky members of our community urged that we support Mr. Lucas from the beginning."
Picking up on a theme in most congressional races nationwide this year, Mr. Lucas called for a "patient's rights" bill. Several versions of legislation, most designed to curb the power of managed-care health companies in deciding patient treatments, are being debated in Congress.
Republican Gex "Jay" Williams, a state senator from Verona in Boone County, said his record in the General Assembly "clearly shows I've worked for the patients and the people when it comes to health care."
While a bill should be passed to address the role of managed care, Mr. Williams said, most of the legislation offered by Democrats relies too heavily on lawsuits as a tool of recourse for consumers who feel they've been wronged by a health maintenance organization, or HMO.
"We don't need any more litigation," Mr. Williams said Thursday. "People do need a recourse, but litigation is not the answer. That just drives the cost of health care up."
Mr. Lucas' proposal calls for "allowing patients the right to contest a managed-care decision," but it does not mention using lawsuits to do so.
Many bills being considered in Congress call for establishing a review board that would rule on disputes between patients and their HMO within days or weeks.
"We shouldn't be putting profits ahead of people," Mr. Lucas said in a statement. "Patient care must always come first. Medical decisions should be made by patients in consultation with doctors and health care professionals, not bureaucrats."
Mr. Lucas said his health-care platform calls for:
Guaranteeing patients the choice of their doctor.
More emphasis on HMOs paying for preventive care, especially for children.
Patient access to medical specialists, which HMOs sometimes deny.
Allowing families to deduct health-care premiums from their income tax.
Guaranteeing reconstructive breast surgery for mastectomy patients.
Ensuring continuity of patient care when a patient's doctor's contract is discontinued by the health care plan.
Providing emergency room access without prior authorization from a managed-care plan.
Having managed-care plans provide information to patients on services covered by their plan and their rights on appealing any decisions made by the plan.
