To the Point

Right to Sue and Patients' Bill of Rights

The Patients' Bill of Rights is stalled in Congress over patients' right to sue their HMO's. When health plans make mistakes, John McCain and the Democrats want them held to account for big damages in federal court. President Bush and Republicans warn of frivolous lawsuits and call for limited liability in state courts. Still others believe the focus on litigation diverts attention from the greater issue of quality universal health care. We examine the reason for the political deadlock over the Patients' Bill of Rights and the right to sue one's HMO with lawyers, policy advisors and health care providers. Newsmaker: Taliban Arrest of Overseas Aid Workers - The German-based charity Shelter Now International says it distributes food and water supplies and helps street children. Afghanistan's Taliban says it's promoting Christianity, a crime in that fundamentalist Moslem country. Amhed Rashid, of the Far Eastern Economic Review alerts that the situation threatens aid workers as well as relief efforts. Reporter's Notebook: Rebate Checks Are Actually Advances - The thirty-eight billion dollars being mailed to taxpayers are not a rebate of this year's taxes. David Milstead, who writes about financial matters for the Rocky Mountain News Service, says the money is actually an advance payment of a future tax cut. He helps us unravel the tax relief knot.