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Legislative
Updates - Action Needed
Click on the links for each committee. Make
phone calls or send emails to voice your opinion on these
bills that directly affect consumers such as yourself.
HB3281
/ SB 3645
Sponsors: Rep. Debra Maggart (Hendersonville), Sen. Bo
Watson (Hixson), Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey (Blountville), Sen. Bill Ketron
(Murfreesboro)
Summary: Removes the prohibition on insurance companies
to make campaign contributions, along with removing PAC aggregate
limitation on candidates and deleting the requirement on certain
large contributions made within 10 days of election.
'Nuff said.
UPDATE:
Passed by the Senate State & Local Government committee last
week and will be voted on by Senate soon. It's to be heard in the
House State & Local Government Subcommittee on 3/14 at 8:30am
or 3:30pm in Room 30. Watch
it here. See a list of legislators on the committee
here.
HB2979
/ SB2789
Sponsors: Rep. Vance Dennis (Savannah) / Sen. Brian
Kelsey (Germantown)
Summary: Corporations are people...rummaging through
your medical records. If this bill becomes law, it would allow health
insurance corporations and their lawyers to see ALL your medical,
mental health, and drug abuse record from ALL your doctors in defense
of a lawsuit.
See, large corporate hospitals and nursing homes don't care that
1985 was 27 years ago. If you file suit against one of them today,
they want to be able to go back and read all about that bout of
severe depression you had when you didn't make your college baseball
team.
In fact, if you were to file a lawsuit against one of them today,
HB2979 would allow them to obtain all your medical records from
allyour doctors - even the ones that do not pertain to the lawsuit.
The bill would also authorize the attorney of the health insurance
company to get any of your mental health or drug and alcohol abuse
treatment records - no matter how far in the past.
The bill would
also allow the attorney for the health insurance company to interview
any of your doctors without your lawyer being present.
UPDATE: This bill will be heard in House General
Subcommittee of Judiciary on Wednesday, 3/14, at 8:30am or 3:30pm
in room 31. Watch
here. See list of legislators on the committee here.
HB174
/ SB360
Sponsors: Rep. Glen Casada (Franklin), Sen. Jack
Johnson (Franklin)
Summary: Elimination of patient protections in
the emergency room...and beyond.
This bill, if it were to become law, would change the burden of
proof for medical malpractice cases originating in emergency rooms
to "gross
negligence." "What's wrong with that?"
you ask. Well, gross negligence is a very high burden to meet; anything
short of criminal conduct, physical assault, and abuse would be
protected by this bill.
Example: A woman is sent home and dies after an
ER doctor fails to diagnose the obvious signs of an ectopic pregnancy.
This could be deemed mere negligence and the patient's family would
have no restitution.
And the accountability-free zone doesn't stop in the ER. If you
are admitted to the ER, this bill also requires the gross negligence
burden to follow you to emergency surgery and the OB unit.
UPDATE: This bill be heard in House General Subcommittee
of Judiciary on Wednesday, 3/14, at 8:30am or 3:30pm in room 31.
Watch
it here. See a list of legislators on the committee
here.
Click
here for info about THCC's 2012 Regional Training Meetings in Cookeville,
Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville
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