HMO REFORM: Ganske Seeks Middle Ground with Reform Bill

      Rep. Greg Ganske (R-IA) entered the managed care reform debate yesterday, stressing his intention to "complement" his colleagues' managed care reform legislation and garner bipartisan support. Backed by "more than 10" GOP co-sponsors, Ganske unveiled the "Managed Care Reform Act," noting that he has "the credibility to build a bipartisan consensus." CongressDaily reports that Ganske's bill shed "two of the more costly provisions from the Democratic bill relating to data collection and internal quality review." Ganske's bill allows patients to sue their health plans for injuries stemming from denied care, but the bill shields plans from "punitive damages if they abide by the decision of the independent 'external appeals' panels" (Rovner, 2/11). Calling Ganske's legislation "a grab bag assortment of expensive mandates guaranteed to raise health insurance premiums," Health Insurance Association of America President Chip Kahn charged that the bill would allow "government bureaucrats ... [to] determine the appropriate number of doctors and specialists in a health plan" (HIAA release, 2/11).