wfn.org | Assembly Addresses Managed Care, Hospital Services, Tobacco Use

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>]

GA99112 
25-June-1999 
 
                Assembly Addresses Managed Care,  
                  Hospital Services, Tobacco Use 
 
FORT WORTH--The 211th General Assembly on Thursday approved with one 
addition the report of the Assembly Committee on Health Issues, including 
major sections on managed care, on the curtailment of hospital services, 
and on tobacco. 
     The section on managed care continues the Presbyterian Church 
(U.S.A.)'s long-standing concern for universal health care and advocates 
for improved quality in managed care.  The section on curtailment of 
hospital services addresses mergers of hospitals, especially those 
involving Roman Catholic hospitals.  The tobacco section promotes the 
development of strategies that "address the public and personal aspects of 
tobacco use" and urges support of legislative proposals to restrict tobacco 
advertising targeting young people. 
     The report also urges all employing organizations of the PC(USA) to 
"provide appropriate health-care and other benefits to nonclergy and clergy 
employees, including part-time employees."  The report directs the Advisory 
Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) to develop a comprehensive 
disabilities policy and report to the Assembly in 2005. 
     The addition came in item seven of the managed care section which 
directs the Stated Clerk to call on officials in federal and state 
governments to do the following: 
     "(a) Protect uninsured persons, especially those with lower fixed 
incomes and those self- employed, from erosion of health-care benefits. 
     "(b) Protect Medicaid benefits. 
     "(c) Protect the privacy and confidentiality rights of consumers. 
     "(d) Promote tort reforms to reduce the cost of health-care created by 
defensive medicine." 
     and the added paragraph, 
    "(e) Protect the rights of the individual to chose the health care 
providers of their choice." 
 
 
Bill Lancaster 

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