Coalition for Health Care Choice Supports "Patients Access and Consumer Choice Act" Announced Today

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition For Health Care Choice, an alliance of community leaders, businesses, physicians, and health organizations in Pennsylvania, announced its support for the bi-partisan Patients Access and Consumer Choice Act legislation that was introduced today by Representatives Jim Christiana (R-Beaver) and Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny). The Coalition is dedicated to preserving the consumers' freedom to make their own health care choices.

The proposed legislation, House Bill 1621 and House Bill 1622, seeks to protect patient choice and access in the health care marketplace by addressing the issue of provider consolidation across Pennsylvania. Recently, many large hospitals and insurance providers have begun to merge, creating large integrated delivery networks that have the power to drive up costs and restrict consumer access.

"Patients should not be denied affordable access to care because a large integrated delivery network says so," said Stanley Holbrook, President and CEO of the Three Rivers Center for Independent Living and a member of the Coalition for Health Care Choice. "The Coalition for Health Care Choice applauds Representatives Christiana and Frankel and the co-sponsors of the bills for ensuring that consumers will be able to access any hospital and doctor at a fair price."

The legislation will ensure that any dominant hospital will not be able to demand unreasonable rates from insurers, which raises the overall cost of care. The legislation will also mandate that hospital systems that also operate insurance providers must contract with all insurers, encouraging open competition among hospital systems that will help control rising medical costs.

About the Coalition for Health Care Choice:
The Coalition for Health Care Choice is an alliance of consumers, community leaders, businesses, physicians, and health organizations in Pennsylvania that are dedicated to preserving the consumers' freedom to make their own health care choices. Health care is a personal and important matter and all decisions need to be made by consumers. The goal of the Coalition is to ensure that all patients have affordable access to any hospital or doctor they choose.

SOURCE Coalition for Health Care Choice